Willow's Legacy
by Stormbreeze of BlazeClan
Summary: Willowkit- a cheerful, ambitious, sleep-loving gray tabby. Just another cat in the Warriors universe, years after the reign of Bramblestar. What happens when there are no prophecies to cause a conflict or send cats on a special mission? Cats live their lives. Willowkit is one of these cats. Sure, there are skirmishes and accidents and illness, but life continues on.
1. Just a note

**Hi, I'm Stormbreeze. This is my first fic. I'm new to all this stuff, so no hate please :) This story is about a kit named Willowkit. No prophecies. Nothing special. Just the life of an average cat.**

 **The first chapter, which will be the prologue and allegiances, will come sometime this week, hopefully today or tomorrow. I think the chapters will be maybe 1000 words, but I don't know yet. A special thanks to Akitsune Lune, for inspiring me to start writing. Go check out her story, Tear Each Other Apart. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	2. Allegiances and Prologue

Allegiances:

ThunderClan

Leader: Sorrelstar- a pale tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes.

Deputy: Sparkface- a white and ginger tom with a ginger starburst on his face.

Medicine Cat: Birchnose- a black tom with white splashes

Warriors

Gorseclaw- a long haired dark brown tom

Nightstorm- a pure black tom

Alderfire- a dark ginger tabby tom

Shadeleaf- a mottled gray tabby she-cat

Swiftfoot- a wiry gray tabby tom

Bramblepelt- a spiky furred brown tabby tom

Spiderstep- a lanky brown and black tabby she-cat

Owlwing- a gray tabby tom

Apprentice- Duskpaw, a calico she-cat

Briarfur- a dark brown she-cat

Foxtail- a thick-furred ginger tom

Moonheart- a silver she-cat with round amber eyes

Apprentice- Falconpaw, a gray and black speckled tom

Thornwhisker- a golden brown tom

Oakwing- a pretty tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Sparrowclaw- a dark gray tabby tom

Feathernose- a fluffy brown tabby she-cat

Queens

Smokethistle- a spiky furred dark gray she-cat, expecting Swiftfoot's kits

Berryleaf- a creamy brown she-cat, expecting Thornwhisker's kits

Elders

Minttail- a sleek pale gray she-cat

Eaglenose- a brown and white tabby tom

 **ShadowClan allegiances will be in the next chapter, then RiverClan, then WindClan.**

 **Prologue**

A dark gray she-cat wailed into the night, her long gray fur spiked up. A black and white tom stood by her side, brow furrowed in concentration. The she-cat screeched in pain as a contraction rippled across her body.

"Okay, Smokethistle, on the next one, push!" the tom ordered.

Smokethistle gritted her teeth and and bit back a scream as a tiny wet bundle of black fur slipped onto the moss. She cried out in wonder at the sight of her newborn son, and leaned forward to lick him on the head, only to be jerked back as a spasm racked her. "Birchnose, lick him!" A creamy she-cat called from her nest in the corner.

"Right, sorry," he muttered, and went to work licking the mewling ball of fur.

Another contraction hit Smokethistle, and with it a wave of thundering pain. She screeched in pain and pushed without a second thought. An even smaller bundle slipped onto the nest, its fur pale gray. Smokethistle leaned forward to lick her kit until it joined the black kit at her belly, burrowing blindly into her soft belly fur.

"A son and a daughter," Birchnose announced.

Smokethistle gazed down at her kits with joy and love in her glistening eyes and promptly passed out from exhaustion.

Birchnose grinned and slipped out of the den.

 **So how was that for a first chapter? OCs are welcome for the other clans. Thanks for reading!**

 **~Stormbreeze**


	3. Chapter 1- Eyes

**I may or may not have been feeling creative and decided to come up with ShadowClan OCs all on my own! Let's hear it for Stormy!**

 **RiverClan and some WindClan OCs are available. Please keep it reasonable.**

ShadowClan Allegiances

Leader: Violetstar- a black and white she-cat with pale blue eyes

Deputy: Sootclaw- a gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Snakepelt- a dark gray tabby tom with white paws and a long tail

Apprentice: Pinepaw- a dark ginger and black patched she-cat

Warriors

Goldencloud- a pale ginger and white she-cat

Miststripe- a pale gray tabby tom, blind in one eye

Whitefang- a dark brown tom with white splotches

Darkberry- a long haired tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Dovefur- a white she-cat with green eyes

Hollynose- a black and white she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Apprentice: Lionpaw, a ginger tabby tom

Sandythorn- a yellow tabby tom with blue eyes

Voletuft- a light brown tabby tom

Brackenclaw- a dark brown tabby tom

Apprentice: Thistlepaw- a black she-cat with green eyes

Larchtail- a gray and brown tabby tom

Sundapple- a mottled ginger she-cat with green eyes

Palewing- a light gray and white she-cat

Slatefrost- a dark gray tom with white paws and chest

Apprentice: Scorchpaw- a gray she-cat with black paws

Foxfoot- a ginger tabby tom

Hailjaw- a black tom with blue eyes

Queens

Mistleheart- a silver tabby she-cat, mother of Sandythorn's kits:

Hazelkit- a blue and cream tortoiseshell she-kit

Frostkit- a gray and white tom

Bramblekit- a ginger tabby tom

Twigkit- a small pale gray tom

Elders

Needlepelt- a dark brown tom with spiky fur

Mousefang- a brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Tallpine- a lanky gray tabby she-cat

 **Innocent Line Break**

Chapter 1- Eyes

Willowkit squirmed in her nest, whining. The mews of older cats murmured in the distance, creating a constant hum in the background. Her flank rubbed against another warm body, and being the curious kit she was, she sniffed it. The kit squeaked and rolled away from her, burying itself into the earthy-scented layer beneath them. She recognized the smell of the kit; it was similar to her own and to that of the big cat near her that she knew to be her mother- earthy, warm and milky. She realized this must be her sibling- no, her brother. His scent was different from the other scents in the den.

She burrowed into her mother's soft belly fur, breathing in her comforting scent, and fell asleep

 **One Quarter Moon Later**

Willowkit awoke again to a loud, pained wail. Her little kit-ears vaguely remembered the screeching, but she couldn't remember where it was from. She tentatively stretched out a tiny paw and made contact with her mother's soft belly. Smokethistle- that was her name, she'd heard other cats say it- woke with a start. "Kits?" she mumbled, voice garbled with sleep.

"Oh- Berryleaf!" she yelped as another screech pierced their ears.

 _Berryleaf must be the name of the other scent,_ Willowkit realized.

She felt the warm presence of Smokethistle's body leave, and heard a thump of paws landing on the ground. She decided to open her eyes to see what was going on.

She squeaked in alarm as the bright light flooded her eyes. As her fresh eyes slowly adjusted to seeing, she sucked in a breath. Everything was huge! The woven ceiling of brambles seemed fox-lengths away. A few rays of early-morning sunlight dappled the floor. In the corner, an enormous figure with long, fluffy gray fur stood by the side of a panting cream she-cat. _Smokethistle is the gray one,_ she realized, _so that makes Berryleaf the cream one._

Suddenly Willowkit noticed a small black form, nearly the same size as her, curled tightly in a ball a mouse-length from her flank. _Brother? Yes... this is Breezekit._

 _What color am I?_ she suddenly wondered. She glanced down at her paws. They were pale silver, with a few darker markings. She twisted around to look at her flank. The fur there was the same silver as her paws. Her tail was short and stumpy, with a couple dark stripes. In the distance, a yell sounded out. She wondered what was happening to Berryleaf. Was she dying?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a big black and white tom raced by her.

"Oh, thank StarClan you're here, Birchnose. I have no idea what to do!"

 _StarClan? What's StarClan?_ she wondered, but was scared to ask. As far as she knew, her mother hadn't noticed she had opened her eyes or was even awake, and she didn't want to interrupt them.

The black and white tom crossed the den and dashed to Berryleaf's side. "She's kitting a bit early, but she'll be okay," he assured Smokethistle. _What's kitting? Does that mean she's having kits like Mama had me and Breezekit?_ The gray queen breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned around and started when she noticed Willowkit staring at her with wide blue eyes. "Mama?" she squeaked.

"That's right, honey," Smokethistle murmured absentmindedly. "Now, we have to go. We don't want to be in the way."

She scooped up Breezekit in her jaws and crouched down. Realizing she wanted Willowkit to climb on, the silver kit pushed off the ground with her stubby legs and clumsily scrambled up he mother's flank. Digging her claws into Smokethistle's thick fur, she squeezed her eyes shut and held on for dear life as the gray queen carried the kits into another den that smelled of moss and old cats, where they fell asleep.

She awoke back in the nursery, surrounded by the mewling of newborn kittens. Her brother was awake beside her, blinking his newly-opened kit-blue eyes. "Hi! I'm your sister!" she squeaked cheerfully. "Hey," he mumbled drowsily, and rested his head back on his small black paws. Just then, a lean, handsome tabby tom padded into the den. He stretched his muzzle out to touch noses with Smokethistle, purring, then bent down to see the kits. Willowkit recognized his scent; he had visited them before, when they hadn't opened their eyes yet. "Swiftfoot?" she wondered.

"That's me," the gray tom purred.

"Are you our papa?" Breezekit mewed.

"That's right, little one." He purred, and licked each of his kits on the head. "I've got a patrol, but I thought I'd stop by and see my beautiful mate and my beautiful kits. Oh, I can get you some freshkill if you want?" he asked.

"A vole would be great," Smokethistle purred. "Oh, and I'm taking them to see Berryleaf's kits once she wakes up. If you could grab Thornwhisker when you get back, I'm sure he'd love to see his kits."

"On it. In fact, I believe he's leading my patrol. He was on patrol and then had nightguard so he couldn't visit." Swiftfoot meowed. He touched noses with Smokethistle and left, appearing a few moments later with a plump bundle of gray fuzz clasped in his jaws. He set it down in front of Smokethistle, mewed a quick goodbye, and the exited the den.

"What's that?" Breezekit asked, prodding the vole with a stubby black paw.

"It's a vole, stupid!" Willowkit pounced on her brother and tackled him into the moss. He reared up, flailing at her with tiny black paws. They tussled on the ground until a fluffy gray tail caught her and swept her away from Breezekit, whose paw smashed into the ground.

"Hey!" she mewed indignantly, blinking up into her mother's amber eyes.

"I'm proud of you, mi little warriors, but you've only just opened your eyes!" Smokethistle purred. "Want to try some vole?"

Willowkit sniffed tentatively at the body, he short whiskers brushing its fuzzy gray fur.

"It smells yucky," Breezekit complained. Willowkit rolled her eyes. He'd only had his eyes open for a few minutes and already he was whining?

"It smells fine, Mama," she mewed, blinking innocently up at her.

Smokethistle purred. "I love you, little ones."

Content, Willowkit snuggled closer.


	4. Chapter 2- Meet and Greet

**Hi, it's Stormbreeze. Back with another chapter! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, I just got caught up with the start of basketball and school issues and got stuck in a rut. Also, I'm moving on Friday the 8th so I might not be posting too much in the next couple weeks.**

 **In response to guest reviews:**

 **Sharpbreeze:**

 **1)Of course I can add your OC. She sounds like a funny cat! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **2) thanks!**

 **3) haha lol! I agree with you there but they can be helpful when you have writers block :)**

 **Diamondpool:**

 **I'd love to add one of your characters, but I'm trying to stick to canon names. I love the name Diamondpool, but unfortunately it needs to be canon. If you could find a different name, I can put your OC in RiverClan as a medicine cat apprentice. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **WindClan allegiances**

Leader: Duststar- a pale gray tabby tom with unusually long fur

Deputy: Icewhisker- a sleek white she-cat

Medicine Cat: Heatherheart- a pale brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice- Lilypaw, a gray and white she-cat

Warriors

Crowshade- a gray and black patched tom

Wrenflight- a brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice- Honeypaw, a pale orange she-cat

Sedgeflower- a light brown and white tabby she-cat

Brackenstripe- a dark brown tom with black stripes

Apprentice- Jaypaw, a pale gray tom with blue eyes

Sharpbreeze- a white she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice- Boulderpaw, a gray tom with a white underbelly

Junipertail- a black tom with white paws

Sandclaw- a pale ginger tabby tom

Russetwillow- a dark ginger tabby she-cat

Cloudnose- a black and white tom

Queens

Leafheart- a pale brown tabby she-cat, expecting Brackenstripe's kits

Elders

Silentgaze- a mute blue tabby she-cat

Thornfang- a dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

 **Another innocent line break...**

 **Chapter 2- Meet-and-Greet**

Willowkit blinked. Sunlight streamed through the brambles, casting warm golden dapples on the ground and turning Smokethistle's pelt to glistening sliver. Breezekit was barely visible, buried deep in layers of moss and tufts of smoky gray fur. Only a tiny black muzzle poked out from underneath a particularly fuzzy tuft of fur. Berryleaf snored peacefully in her nest in the corner, her Pliny cream tail tucked neatly around her three sleeping kits.

Willowkit yawned, twitching her whiskers and swiping her tongue around her jaws, then curled up in a ball for another nap. _Being a kit is tiring,_ she thought. _I've only been alive for a quarter-moon, and I guess I'm not used to all this... living._

She rested her head on her paws, wrapped her tail around her and quickly fell asleep.

She reawoke a short while later at the gentle touch of a tail on top of her head. She twitched her ears and blinked, staring up into Smokethistle's amber eyes. Swiftfoot hovered in the background, deep in conversation with an unfamiliar tom, with a rich golden-brown pelt and long whiskers sticking out of a sleek, angular face. His dark blue eyes were friendly and welcoming, and they glittered with joy.

 _This must be Thornwhisker, Berryleaf's mate,_ she realized. He looked pretty nice, she decided.

"H-hi," she squeaked. "I'm Willowkit," she declared more confidently.

Thornwhisker's ear twitched. "Nice to meet you, Willowkit. Your father was just telling me all about you. I'm Thornwhisker."

Swiftfoot grinned and shuffled his paws. Smokethistle purred. "Aw, Swift, silly."

"Swiftfoot, you never could help yourself when it came to bragging," Berryleaf purred.

Swiftfoot smiled, and he, Berryleaf, and Thornwhisker launches into a heated debate about whether ShadowClan would respect the borders they had recently fought over. She briefly wondered what ShadowClan was, then dismissed it to the back of her head as she began to doze off. Big cats could talk their paws off and not even notice! A gentle voice in her ear startled her. "They do talk a lot, don't they," Smokethistle purred. Willowkit nodded vigorously. Her mother chuckled. "Are you ready to meet Berryleaf's kits?"

"Berryleaf's kits? New denmates?" Breezekit head shot up, his kit-blue eyes wide and eager.

"Yes, mousebrain!" Willowkit leapt at her brother, only to be caught in the stomach and knocked away by a bushy gray tail.

"Hush!" Smokethistle ordered. "Don't wake up Berryleaf!"

"It's okay," a drowsy voice sounded from the corner.

"Berryleaf!" Thornwhisker dashed to the creamy-furred she-cat, rubbing his cheek enthusiastically to her nose. "How are our kits? Can I see them? What are their names?" He gabbled on eagerly like an excited kit.

"Whoa there tiger!" Berryleaf purred. "There's three of them, all healthy. You can come see them now."

Willowkit scrambled out of the nest, her tiny paws scrabbling for purchase on the crumbly moss. She heaved herself over the rim, feeling Breezekit's warm breath on her tail, and ran to the side of the cream queen's nest as fast as her wobbly legs could carry her. _New denmates!_ She could tell Breezekit desperately wanted to make a snarky comment that echoed her thoughts, but he refrained.

She poked her head over the edge of Berryleaf's nest. The three kits were hidden beneath Berryleaf's long plumed tail. As she watched, the other cats gathered around, anxious, and Berryleaf swept away her tail.

Willowkit saw Breezekit's eyes widen in astonishment. Three tiny kits lay nestled in the crook of their mother's belly, mewling and weak.

She gaped in awe at the little, perfect bodies. _Did I ever look like that?_

"What are their names?" she asked tentatively. Berryleaf smiled. She touched her tail to the largest kit, a golden-brown tom like his father, but with his mother's longer pelt and soft, broad features.

"This one is Hawkkit."

She nudged the next largest, a ginger tabby tom with short, soft fur and his father's more angular features. She could tell he would grow up to be a handsome tom, especially with the broad shoulders.

"His name is Sunkit," Berryleaf mewed.

Then she gestured to the smallest kit, a creamy-furred she-kit whose long fur stuck up in spikes.

"I saved this one for you, Thorn," she murmured. "I know how much you wanted a daughter.

The golden tom touched his nose to his mate's lovingly. His eyes were filled with joy and love for his newborn kits and his mate. _Will I ever have a mate who loves me like Thornwhisker loves Berryleaf or like Smokethistle loves Swiftfoot?_

Thornwhisker stretched out a surprisingly broad paw and gently prodded the she-kit. The kit squealed and latched onto his paw with all four paws. hooking her tiny claws into his sleek leg-fur.

Thornwhisker grinned and gave a slight

shake of his paw, dislodging the kit, who emitted a small squeak and retreated to the soft curve of her mother's belly. "How about Rosekit?" he suggested. "Pretty, but fierce."

"Rosekit is perfect," Berryleaf agreed, her blue eyes glistening.

Willowkit realized that Breezekit had been silent for a while. She turned and saw him gazing awkwardly at Rosekit.

"Willowkit?" he asked.

"Uh-huh?" she replied somewhat absently, mesmerized by the innocent squeaking of the little kits.

"Um... This might sound dumb, but I just kinda feel there's something... special about Rosekit." He shuffled his paws.

"I betcha you'll grow up and be mates one day!" Willowkit teased. "But still, don't bother with that. You've got the rest of your life to chase after her."

Breezekit laughed. "If you say so."

Willowkit twitched her whiskers. _Wouldn't it be hilarious to say I told you so someday... Yeah, sure, like that'll ever happen._

Smokethistle caught her eye and beckoned to her and Breezekit with her tail.

"C'mon, kiddos. Let's give them some space. She ushered them away and back into their nest, where they began to suckle.

Once Swiftfoot had said good-night and Berryleaf had fallen asleep, Thornwhisker curled around her and her kits, they snuggled in close to their mother as night fell over the camp, moonlight trickling through the brambles, giving Breezekit's sleek black coat a silvery gleam.

"Smokethistle?" Willowkit asked.

"Yes, honey?" Her mother licked a fluffy gray paw and lazily drew it back over her ear.

"Did we have that many cats fawning over us when we were born?"

"Of course, baby. Swiftfoot was there instantly. He was so worried." She chuckled. "Then Thornwhisker and Berryleaf visited, and then the rest of the clan came in over the next couple days. They'll come in to see Berryleaf's kits, too, so prepare yourself. Oh, and speaking of the clan, I think you kits are ready to go outside tomorrow."

"Really?" Willowkit and Breezekit cheered at the same time.

"Yes, really," their mother mewed. "Now hush. It's time to sleep now."

She snuggled up, feeling her mother's soft heartbeat against her side.

"Goodnight, little ones," Smokethistle murmured.

 _I am loved._

She curled up and fell fast asleep.

 **A/N: So how was that? I hope you liked it. I know cats can't really laugh, but there are lots of adjectives for laughing that are better than "purred".**

 **Next chapter's gonna be really long! Yay me! Review please!**

 **~Stormbreeze**


	5. Chapter 3- New Places, New Faces Part 1

**What's up, my lovely readers? Stormbreeze is back, and she's got BIG plans for this BIG chapter! Thank you so much for all your great reviews! I have decided that OCs for RiverClan will be open UNTIL Christmas and/or Chapter 7, whichever comes first.**

 **If it reaches Christmas then the next chapter after that will have RiverClan OCs. If chapter 7 comes around soon, it will have the RiverClan OCs. Sorry if this is a bit confusing...**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Nightflower:**

 **Thank you so much! I can add your OCs to RiverClan, yes. I love the name Nightflower but since Swiftfoot is in ThunderClan I may change Swiftfur's name to something like Running... I can't think of anything rn. Sorry /**

 **So this chapter is gonna be REALLY long, as Stormy started and couldn't stop. Probably about 3500-4000 words? Idk...**

 **Welp, enjoy the chapter!**

Willowkit awoke with a start. _Today we're going outside!_ Instantly she was wide awake and packed to the brim with energy.

"Breezekit!" she hissed, prodding the black tom-kit with her paw.

"Huh... what's goin' on?" he slurred, voice thick with drowsiness. He blinked a couple times, then rested his head on my paws.

"We're going outside!" Willowkit leapt from the nest and began to chase her tail in excitement. "Come on, Breeze! Don't be such a lazy slug!" She'd heard Swiftfoot call their mother that, affectionately, when she was waking up.

The black tom yawned and arched his back, lazily hopping out of the nest and licking his lips, clearly less excited that she was. She rolled her eyes. "Aren't you excited?" she asked him.

"Nah. It's just a couple of dens in a big hollow. Big deal."

Annoyed, Willowkit bared her thorn-prick white teeth at him. She jumped into the nest.

"Let's wake up Mama," she growled through her teeth.

"Mama?" she whispered.

Smokethistle's ear twitched, but she stubbornly remained asleep. Her warm exhale ruffled Willowkit's fur.

Breezekit barged past her, bumping into her shoulder. She hissed in annoyance.

"You aren't doing it right!" he complained.

"Show me how it's done, then," she grumbled.

"Fine, I will!" Her brother jumped onto Smokethistle, hooking his miniature claws into her thick gray fur.

"Stop it! You'll hurt Mama!" Willowkit exclaimed. _Get off before I make you!_

Smokethistle's amber eyes flickered open in alarm.

"Ow!" she hissed.

The gray queen twisted around and snatched up Breezekit in her jaws. She rose to her feet. "This is what naughty kits get for waking up Mama Badger!" Her voice was muffled by Breezekit's fur.

"Put me down!" he squealed.

"Never! A badger never releases her prey!"

Willowkit watched in amusement as her mother reared back her head and shook it back and forth. Breezekit shrieked, and Willowkit suppressed a purr.

Smokethistle set the black kit down. "Promise you'll never bother Mama Badger again?" she asked, breathless.

"I promise!" he mewed meekly.

"Good," Smokethistle mewed.

"Now can we go outside?" Willowkit begged.

"Of course," her mother purred.

"Yeah!" Willowkit and Breezekit cheered, Breezekit seeming to have forgotten his earlier unexcitement as he bounced up and down, eyes bright.

Smokethistle laughed. "I remember being that excited... I still am excited to watch my babies see the world for the first time..."

Her amber eyes clouded. She gazed wistfully away.

 _What's she thinking about?_ Willowkit wondered.

Smokethistle seemed to snap back into the present.

"Anyway, are you ready? I'm gonna show you around, and you're going to meet Sorrelstar,

Sparkface, the apprentices, the elders, and anyone else left in camp, I guess."

"Cool!" Breezekit leapt up, charged outside and tumbled to the ground, Willowkit behind him. She stood up and shook out her pelt, looked up, and gasped. **(Prepare for generic kit discovery moment/page / )**

Everything was so enormous! She looked to her side and saw Breezekit in a similar state of awe, frozen and gaping. His eyes were wide in amazement. She looked around. A huge ledge of rock jutted out from the center of the clearing, **(yes sorry idk what the ThunderClan camp actually looks like lol)**

with a cave concealed underneath by a curtain of low hanging vines. Several dens of woven brambles sat among patches of soft ferns. Tall, carved out walls reached many fox-lengths above her head on one side. The other side was ringed by prickly walls, with a gap that could be easily defended serving as an entrance or exit. A crevice opened a short way up the cliff, half-concealed by a shady overhang. A barely visible path wound up the cliff, sandy and crumbling.

Smokethistle came up beside Willowkit, purring. "I remember the first time I saw this. I was in shock at how far away the sky was." She purred.

Breezekit bounded up to them, kit-blue eyes wide with wonder. "It's so big!" he breathed.

"I know," their mother chuckled. "Come. We're going into Sorrelstar's den first."

Willowkit obediently followed her mother to the sheltered cave beneath the ledge. Smokethistle led them inside, brushing through the curtain of ivy into a cool, cozy den, with two neat moss nests deep in the sheltered back corner, a smooth stone floor dusted with sand and a crack a tail-length above them that filtered in sunlight, casting a cozy, muted glow.

"This is so cool..." Willowkit breathed.

"Whose den is this?" Breezekit asked.

"This den belongs to Sorrelstar and her mate, Bramblepelt," Smokethistle answered.

"Who's Sorrelstar?" Willowkit wondered.

"Sorrelstar is our leader. She runs the Clan, makes sure we're all fed and enforced the code. Sparkface is her sister and deputy. She organizes patrols and acts as a second-in-command."

"When can we meet them?" Breezekit voices her thoughts.

Smokethistle smiled. "They set up meetings with all the new kits, and they should be here any time now."

Willowkit gasped. "Really?"

She began frantically grooming herself in preparation. _Oh gosh, I hope I make a good impression!_

Breezekit stood indifferently beside her, not bothered by the fact that they were about to meet the clan leader!

"Breezekit!" she gasped indignantly. "Do you even care about _anything?_

"Of course I do." He shrugged and began to casually lick his paw.

Willowkit hissed under her breath and twisted to lick a tuft of fur on her shoulder. She couldn't be looking bad when she met the Clan leader!

She sat down and shifted her weight between her paws impatiently, her tail thumping against the cold earth. She fixated her eyes on the entrance and sat still, eyes eager. Her brother pounced around at little scraps of moss and chased his tail, eventually acquiring a muted gray sheen on his fluffed-up black pelt. Willowkit did her best to ignore him, but every time he landed, he stirred up dust and it made her sneeze.

Slowly, it began to nudge her over the edge. She was on the verge of losing her shaky composure and snapping some impolite things at him, but she just barely managed to hold it together.

Soon a pale tortoiseshell poked her head into the den. She padded in calmly. Her dappled pelt was sleek and neat, but her flanks heaved and she seemed to be gasping slightly for breath. _This has to be Sorrelstar!_ Willowkit straightened up, wanting to look eager and polite but not too wild and excited.

Smokethistle dipped her head in greeting. "Good morning, Sorrelstar. These are my kits, Willowkit-" she paused to sweep up Breezekit with her tail and sit him next to her. "-And Breezekit."

Sorrelstar purred. "Nice to meet you, little ones."

She turned to Smokethistle. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Gorseclaw had to make dirt, and then Sparkface tripped over a root and sprained her paw."

"Really, it's no trouble at all. I'm sorry to hear about Sparkface. Will she be needing a replacement?" Smokethistle's eyes lit up slightly.

"No, I don't think she'll need to. It's a minor injury, so I think she'll be fine."

Smokethistle's face visibly fell, though it was clear she was trying to hide it. _But why?_ Willowkit wondered.

Sorrelstar chuckled. "I know you want Swiftfoot to be deputy, 'Thistle. I promise if anything happens to Sparkface, Swiftfoot will be the replacement."

 _Ohh... Mama wants Papa to be deputy. I get it now._

Smokethistle scuffed her paw against the ground, embarrassed. "Sorry," she muttered.

"No need," the tortoiseshell replied cheerfully. "So, these are your kits? They're so well behaved!"

Willowkit angrily flicked her tail at her brother, who had quickly assumed a straight-backed, stiff stance similar to hers as soon as Sorrelstar entered. He smirked.

She made a mental note to annoy him later, the turned her attention back to the conversation.

"So, do you think they're ready to see the camp and meet their Clanmates?" Sorrelstar was asking Smokethistle.

"Of course they are, right kits?" She flicked her tail dismissively.

"Yeah!" they both mewed.

"Okay then, let's do it!" Sorrelstar turned and vanished through the ivy. Smokethistle beckoned to them and followed Sorrelstar out of the den.

Willowkit skipped out of the den, euphoric. The leader liked her! And now she was seeing the camp- with the leader! Sure, all the kits would do this, and she'd see a heck of a lot more of her as she grew up, but she couldn't help but feel special.

Outside, she paused for a moment, still awestruck by the sheer size of everything, then followed the little procession of cats to the den nearest the nursery, which was spacious and spread out. Inside, she saw neat rows of tightly-woven moss nests, some larger than others.

 **GUYS IM SO SORRY THIS ONE HAS TO BE SPLIT UP BC I LOST MY NOTEBOOK :'( PLS ACCEPT THIS IM SO SO SORRY BYE!**


	6. AUTHORS NOTE

**guys im really sorry i had a note planned out and everything... im really sorry im so busy... new chapter will be out ASAP. im really sorry... i suck at fanfic**

since I have to do a story...

Willowkit sighed. She had just typed up her newest chapter of her FanFiction, only to have it be taken down for illegal content when all she had done was made a name generator! Infuriated, she stomped away, past her brother who was playing on the Apprentices' PlayStation, past the warriors den where the warriors grumbled about ShadowClan with their beers, and into the nursery, where she sighed and curled up in her nest, exhausted. Her mother came in and curled up next to her, updating her Facebook status and posting many selfies with her sleeping daughter and a wineglass.

Then ShadowClan dropped a bomb on the ThunderClan camp and they all exploded. The end.


	7. Chapter 4- New Places, New Faces Part 2

**I finally got back... I'm really sorry. OCs for RiverClan are OPEN for the next 2 weeks. I just need a name, rank and pelt, in the reviews or by PM. Reviews motivate me, so don't forget! :)**

 **Sharpbreeze: I'm sorry I didn't reply to you earlier. I can PM you if you feel like making an account. I'm willing to make that promise. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Continuing from where we left off... Sorry if the line breaks are odd. I'm trying to work that out.**

"This is the warriors' den," Sorrelstar declared. Willowkit glanced around, seeing all the nests and wondering how she would ever be able to remember all these cats' names.  
"Oh- Feathernose!" The tortoiseshell leader padded over to a nest in the farthest corner, where Willowkit now saw a small, fluffy brown she-cat curled tightly in a ball. Her pale, fluffy fur blended perfectly with the crumbly, browning moss, which was why she hadn't noticed her before.

Sorrelstar shook the cat awake. She blinked, her pale blue eyes clouded, yet unusually bright. She groaned. "Hurts..."  
Sorrelstar looked concerned. "Feathernose, you're burning up. Go see Birchnose."  
Feathernose staggered to her paws and stumbled outside obediently.

"StarClan, please keep her well..." Sorrelstar murmured, beginning to pace distractedly.

"Feathernose is Sorrelstar's only kit," Smokethistle murmured. _That explains it...  
_ Sorrelstar shook her head roughly. "Anyway, let's be off!" she mewed brightly. The procession followed Sorrelstar out of the den and straight into another den, which was much smaller and cozier, but smelled faintly like old moss and stale dirt. Breezekit wrinkled his tiny black nose, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Two cats lay drowsily stretched out in their nests, eyes drooping and half-opened.

"This is the elders' den," Smokethistle mewed.  
Sorrelstar padded over to the old cats and whispered something in their ears. They nodded, murmuring something back, and sat up, yawning in harmony.  
The gray she-cat arched her back and shook with another yawn, then sat back down. "I'm Minttail," she rasped. "Nice to see some new young'uns around, eh, Eaglenose?"

The brown tabby tom stretched and cleared his throat with a raspy cough. "M'name's Eaglenose," he croaked. His voice, except for being somewhat scratchy, was surprisingly youthful and strong, and he spoke with confidence. His face was angular and hawkish, with dark, deep-set blue eyes. He looked familiar... Then something clicked. _Could this be Thornwhisker's father?  
_ Minttail gave Eaglenose an affectionate lick on the shoulder. "This young'un's got some lung problem, so he decided to retire to spend a bit of time with his ol' mate." She purred. _  
_

He nuzzled her affectionately, then broke off into a croaky cough. Minttail gently stroked his back with her tail soothingly.  
"We'll give you some space," Sorrelstar mewed respectfully.

"Bye, Minttail! Bye, Eaglenose!" Willowkit squeaked, waving her stumpy tail as she left the den. As they padded across the clearing, Willowkit noticed Breezekit's head was beginning to droop. She was a bit tired too, she realized, but thought nothing of it. They entered another, slightly larger, den that only had two nest that appeared to be in use. The three other nests were old and dusty, and the ones that were used were small and sloppy.  
"Whose den is this?" she wondered.  
"This is the apprentices' den," Smokethistle replied. "Duskpaw and Falconpaw are probably out training, but you'll get to meet them later."

Smokethistle led the cats back outside and ushered them over to the only den they hadn't explored yet, the shaded cave beneath the overhang. "This is the medicine cat's den. We should be quiet, since Brichnose is very busy and has a lot on his paws right now," Sorrelstar explained.

They were about to enter when they were cut off by a lanky she-cat limping out of the den.

"Oh, my bad! Hey, Smoke. Nice to see you. I see you've brought your kits outside?" she mewed.  
Willowkit looked up at the she-cat and startled. She was mostly white, with ginger paws and a smattering of orange speckles on her flank, but that wasn't hat was shocking. Her face was a brilliant explosion of orange fur, beginning at her nose and radiating outward until it faded to some ginger speckles on her forehead and ears. _Could this be Sparkface?_ she wondered. _The name fits-_ she chuckled to herself- _and she's limping, like Sorrelstar mentioned earlier._ Deciding that the best option was to just ask, the curious she-kit stepped forward.

"Are you Sparkface?" she asked bluntly.

"Really? How did you know?" she gasped in mock astonishment. "Wait... It wasn't my _face,_ was it?" Sparkface purred.

Willowkit boldly nodded. "Yeah, er... Ma'am?"  
"Oh, there's no need to call me ma'am. Sparkface'll do. Well, Sorrelstar, you probably don't want to bother Birchnose at the moment. He's got a lot on his paws... Feathernose's vomiting, Eaglenose's cough's acting up, and he needs to check on Berryleaf..." She trailed off. Sorrelstar had brushed roughly by her and into the den after her kit.  
"Oh, StarClan, I forgot!" The ginger and white she-cat hurried after the leader.

"Well, kits, the big day's over. Time for a nap."

Breezekit didn't complain- he looked ready to fall asleep on his paws. Willowkit shared his mood. She was so exhausted, the thought of staying out any longer seemed horrifying. The two kits followed their mother into the nursery, careful not to wake Berryleaf and the kits, and fell into their nest.

Despite her exhaustion, Willowkit found herself awake long after Smokethistle's breathing had evened and her round amber eyes were shut tight. She wondered if Feathernose would be okay, she wondered if Sunkit, Hawkkit and Rosekit would open their eyes soon, she wondered when they could play outside again, she wondered when they could see the medicine den. But most of all, she wondered when she would become a warrior- it seemed like it would be hundreds of seasons before she would even be apprenticed. She'd heard of apprentices, stories she'd heard the queens tell, and she couldn't wait! Thinking of apprentices... Who would her mentor be? Maybe she'd get Sparkface... the deputy! That would be incredible! Mind whirling, she tried to settle down, and an amazing idea formed in her head as she slipped into sleep...

 **How was this? I think I did pretty well. I'm sorry you guys had to wait so long...**

 **Question of the day... Who is your favorite character, and your favorite from the books?**

 **My favorite character to write is probably Sorrelstar. She's so cheerful, and she leads the clan well. Being a young leader, she is a little mischievous, but always thinks clearly. She knows what's best for her clan.**

 **My favorite from the books is... God this is hard... probably either Willowbreeze from Crookedstar's Promise or Tawnypelt.**

 **Remember to review! 3 3**

 **~Stormbreeze~**


	8. Chapter 5- Trouble

**Hey guys, I'm back! This chapter is called Trouble... which may or may not have something to do with Willowkit's idea... Definitely 100% cryptic and mysterious. This will be a medium-length chapter.**

 **Blazefur: Thanks for reviewing! I really like Sparkface too. Brackenfur is such a loyal and strong warrior, and I don't get why Firestar kept skipping over him as deputy. I love Ravenpaw too!**

 **Enjoy! -Stormbreeze**

Willowkit stood below the Highledge, the clan gazing at her with reverence. A huge pile of countless dead mice, squirrels and birds lay limp at her paws. Sorrelstar was gaping, in awe at the she-cat's skill. Willowkit basked in the attention like it was warm sunshine. The tortoiseshell leader leapt onto the Highledge, yowling a summons that was not needed-every cat was already gathered, shocked at the sheer amount of prey the brave she-kit had loyally brought back to feed her clan.

"This young kit may be less than a moon old, but she already has shown so much skill in feeding her clan, which we need especially now that it is beginning to grow colder and so many warriors are unable. Despite hersneaking away, she shows so much raw talent that I have decided to make her an apprentice right away."

Willowkit gasped. "Me? A humble little kit becoming an apprentice when all I'd done was caught a few scrawny mice? It's an honor, Sorrelstar." Her voice was powerful and mature, unlike her usually squeaky, little-kit voice

Sorrelstar nodded. "Then, you shall become an apprentice. StarClan look down on this brave kit, and grant her all the respect you, and ThunderClan can give." Sorrelstar's words were off slightly, but Willowkit paid no notice."From this moment on, you will be known as Willowpaw. You show such talent, I have decided to mentor you myself."Willowpaw saw Breezekit's eyes glitter with envy. The little apprentice raised her head to touch noses with the leader, and the clan cheered out her name. "Willowpaw! Willowpaw!" they roared, and even Breezekit joined in. She closed her eyes in bliss...

* * *

She felt the texture of moss on her soft belly fur, and wondered why someone would put moss on her. She could hear soft breathing next to her, too. She opened her eyes, suddenly finding them heavy-lidded and crusty, and revealing a face-full of soft, tufty fur. Confused, she sat up straighter, only to realize she was lying down, with a warm black flank pressed up against her. The situation crashed down on her, and, feeling stupid, she sheepishly lay back down.

She had barely closed her eyes when the idea from last night hit her... tied all into the dream perfectly, too! She sat bolt upright, shaking Breezekit awake while being careful not to awaken her mother.

"Psst- Breezekit!" she hissed in his ear. The black tom-kit stirred, emitting a small, squeaky yawn and blinking a few times to rid his eyes of the crustiness that came with sleep. "Willowkit-"  
"Shh!" She hushed him quickly. He began to protest, but she shoved his face into the moss roughly. "I told you, hush!"  
The black tom sat up, blinking.  
"What?" he whispered.  
Willowkit leaned in close, her voice barely a whisper. "First, let's move away from Mama. I've got a secret plan!" she hissed with glee, slipping out of the nest swiftly as a snake. Breezekit followed her uncertainly, hesitating slightly with a glance back to the sleeping gray figure in their nest, then hopping lightly out of the nest and following his sister to the quietest corner of the den.

Willowkit peeked outside. A hush was still over the camp, the sun's rays not yet penetrating the night and leaving the camp dark and still. She ducked her head back in and began to whisper quickly in her brother's ear.

"Okay, here's the plan. We sneak out of camp to bring back prey for the clan, and they'll be so impressed at our skills we'll be made apprentices!"

Breezekit nodded enthusiastically to show his agreement, bounding ahead of her with eager, bouncy strides.  
Willowkit leapt forward and nipped at his tail-tip. The fuzzy black tom-kit turned around, irritation gleaming in his vivid blue eyes. "What was that for?" he hissed angrily.

"We've gotta be quiet!" she growled. The raven-furred tom rolled his eyes, but slowed his stride to a delicate tiptoe. She followed him, quickly catching up and passing him despite her somewhat shorter legs. "Lemme lead," she whispered to him. "I know just where to go."

The two young kits slipped out of camp through a tiny tunnel in the wall of brambles that Willowkit had spotted during her tour of the camp, just big enough for the small kits. Even so, she still had to press her belly to the ground and flatten her fur so that the silky kit-fluff wouldn't get caught in the brambles and give them away. Once they were safely outside, Willowkit realized her pale, silvery pelt was practically glowing in the receding moonlight, while Breezekit's pitch-black coat rendered him practically invisible. She looked around frantically for something to hide the telltale sheen of her pale fur, when she heard pawsteps coming towards them. _The camp guard!_

She grabbed her brother and pulled him into a nearby bush, ignoring the thorns pricking her pelt.

"What was that for?" Breezekit growled, his blue eyes gleaming with anger and fear.

"Shh, it's the night guard! Now get on top of me to hide my fur!"

Breezekit obeyed grudgingly, wrapping his paws and stubby tail around his smaller sister to hide her fur. Once the pawsteps receded, the silver-pelted kit slowly led her brother out of the bush, motioning for him to wait while she looked for some mud to disguise her fur. Quickly, she dashed to the roots of a tree where a puddle of slippery wet mud sat stagnant, and lay down in it, rolling around and smearing it with her paws, ignoring the sticky feeling and Breezekit's scornful gaze. She rolled her eyes and got up, continuing into the forest with her brother at her heels.  
Her paws were too small to make noise, so they proceeded silently through the dark, still forest. After what seemed like moons of walking, she finally scented the warm, musky scent of prey. Though she was much too young for solid prey, her mouth still watered.

She turned to Breezekit. "Can you smell it?" she whispered. He nodded. "Okay, I'll get it," she whispered.

Willowkit spotted the mouse twitching in some leaves and dropped to a clumsy hunting crouch, her tail sticking straight up and twitching with excitement. Unaware that Breezekit hadn't heard her and was also stalking it, she began to step forward. Her slight build was far too small to make noise, so neither of the kits noticed each other, both intent on their prey.

When Willowkit was close enough, she tensed her muscles and leaped. By then the mouse was long gone, having scented the inexperienced kits a long time ago. She landed squarely on her target- but not on her feet. She jumped awkwardly, slamming into her brother (who had also pounced) and they both collapsed in a heap. Sighing, she got to her paws, prepared to yell at her brother for making her miss her catch. She had just barely dusted off the scraps of leaves stuck in her muddy pelt when

the ground collapsed under them.

Willowkit screeched, digging her thorn-prick claws into the walls of the hole they had fallen into and trying to pull herself up. _Why did this happen to me?_ she wailed internally. In reality, the hole wasn't much taller than a large full-grown cat, but to the two tiny kits, the hole seemed like an endless pit.

 _At least we're not hurt, I guess. A patrol will find us later._ Breezekit growled angrily, shredding up the dirt with his claws and hissing. He let out a loud yowl for help, but was met with silence. Willowkit sighed and lay down, taking comfort in the warm, solid earth and seeing her brother beside her. _Wait- warm? Seeing?_

She scrambled to her paws, glancing up. Orange flames danced around the rim of the hole, the ground quickly becoming hot.

Breezekit screamed, his pelt fluffed out in terror.

" _Help!"_

 **Mwahahaha! A cliffhanger!**

 **No story is complete without the kits getting in trouble, but ambitious Willowkit got into it extra early.**

 **Question of the day: What is your favorite arc and favorite super edition?**

 **My favorite ark... probably The New Prophecy. The characters were so much more developed and complex, and everybody was important. In the new series, (especially AVOS) there are just SO many cats you can't keep track of them, and the characters have no personality except for a few characters like Sparkpelt and Violetshine.**

 **My favorite super edition is without a doubt Crookedstar's Promise. I just love the characters, the plot, his backstory... I just love it.**

 **Bai!**

 **-Stormbreeze**


	9. Chapter 6- Burned

**Hello! We'll resume where we left off... what happened to the kits?**

 **Sharpbreeze: I totally agree! I hated how Moth Flight's Destiny ended! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Emberflame: Thank you! You'll find out today...**

 **Guest: Thank you for pointing those out. While I do appreciate that, I don't really mind if my characters, especially random filler OCs have unlikely pelt colors or eye colors. The original series wasn't realistic in that way, and neither is mine, I guess. I may try to change a few blue eyes.**

" _Help!"_

His call was met with nothing but the crackling of the growing flames. Willowkit began to sweat, her pelt slick with perspiration and flattened in terror. Breezekit flattened his damp, sweaty fur and looked at Willowkit, round blue eyes gleaming with panic and reflecting the flames.

"Anybody! Help! We're down here!" she yowled.

A distant yowl sounded, too far away for even her sharp ears to hear.

"We're down here! Help!" Breezekit screeched, voice high-pitched and cracking with fear. "Please!"

Another yell sounded, closer this time. Willowkit pricked her ears and leaned forward to catch it, muscles aching with exhaustion and burning with heat. "We're... way... where are..."

"Over here! We're trapped in a hole! Quick, it's so hot!" she yelled, her voice breaking and fading to a moan as the scorching fire began to dance closer, the heat leaching into her pelt and singeing the tips of her fur. Breezekit was quiet beside her, except for a small groan of pain.

The voice sounded again, loud and clear. "We're coming!" It was a tom's voice she didn't recognize. She let out a faint wail in response, and curled tightly in the center of the pit, away from the scorching hot walls.  
Seconds later, a pure black face with gleaming green eyes poked over the rim of the hole, before darting back as a wave of fire burst up.

"We'll try to put it out long enough for you to get out!" he yowled.

The face appeared again as the fire receded,bending over the lip of the pit as far as he could. "Quick, climb!"

Willowkit didn't need to be told twice. She leaped up onto the wall, her paws scrabbling on the crumbling dirt as she frantically tried to pull herself up. Finally, her muscles burning, she reached a height where the black-furred tom could finally grab on to her scruff. He lifted her up out of the pit and scrambled away, desperately running from the flames. She caught a quick glimpse of three other cats- a long-legged brown tabby, a sleek, silver-furred cat and a smaller, black and gray tom with amber eyes wide in shock. The brown tabby clutched her brother in her jaws, and was running alongside them while the other two sprinted ahead.

Then suddenly, a burning, searing pain scorched through her body, and then came blissful, painless unconsciousness.

* * *

Willowkit blinked. It hurt, so she kept her eyes shut. Every inch of her body burned. She could feel the texture of soft moss beneath her, and her twitching nose picked up a bitter, tangy scent. _Where am I? What happened?_

She tried to open her eyes again. This time, she could stand to keep her eyes open. She was in a cool, shady cave, tucked safely in a nook in the wall. The bitter scent was so strong, she wrinkled her nose and tried to shift in her nest. A blistering wave of pain rippled over her body, and the tiny kitten nearly blacked out. Carefully this time, she slowly turned her head to look at herself.

It was horrible. A large patch of her soft, beautiful fur was scorched off and her bare, stinging skin was slathered in mushy green glop. She sighed, wondering what had happened to her. Just the small movement sent a wave of pain shuddering through her body, and she turned away from the nasty sight.

 _Me and Breezekit were in the nursery with Mama, and I had that dream... then we sneaked out... and fell in that hole... and then the fire._ She scrunched her eyes up tight and moaned at the painful memory, trying to shove it to the back of her mind. It stubbornly remained the center of her thoughts, and she began to recall more parts of the memory. _Mama was sleeping in the nursery, and those other cats were there... a black tom?_

Her thoughts were disrupted as a smallish black tom with white splashes hurried over to her from an unseen corner.

"Willowkit! You're awake! Are you all right? You must be in pain! Do you want to see your mom?" he rambled.

"Mama..." she whimpered, trying her best to ignore the pain that seared her throat as she spoke. "And... who saved me?" she rasped as an afterthought.

"I'll get your mother. She and your brother have been worried sick about you! And it was Nightstorm and his patrol who saved you. Big, thick-furred black tom? Bright green eyes?"

She nodded weakly, wincing at the wave of pain that came with it. She closed her eyes, wanting to sleep until her mother came, but she had barely dozed off when the black and white cat gently shook her awake. She blinked tiredly up at him, noticing her brother and her mother looking down at her, their eyes wide and nervous. She realized that one of Breezekit's eyes was developing a ring of amber around the iris, while the other was a faint, smudged ring of green that was nearly unnoticeable.

"Mama..." she croaked.

Smokethistle hushed her, bending down to gently lick the top of her forehead and moving on to groom the rest of her un-burned fur. When she was done, she sat up straight. Breezekit gave her a warning glance, and Willowkit shrank back in her nest, anticipating the scolding.

"What were you _thinking?_ " she exploded, amber eyes burning with anger. "There's a reason why we don't let kits out of camp! You should know better! You're so young too... You're lucky they found you in time!" Her voice shook. "I just didn't want you to get hurt, and look what happened!" The fire died from her tired eyes. "I just want you to be safe..."

"I'm so sorry, Mama," she whispered, voice shaking.

Her mother leaned down and rasped her tongue across her forehead. "Shh, it's okay, baby. Just _never_ do that again."

Breezekit poked his head out from behind Smokethistle. "We won't!"

Smokethistle chuckled. "I'm sure you won't. Now, I'll leave you be." She licked her head one last time, picked up Breezekit and left the den.

Gratefully, Willowkit closed her eyes and slept for awhile, just waking up when her father went to check in on her, and quickly falling asleep again.

"Oh, Willowkit, I remember sneaking out one day, with my brother and sister Foxtail and Briarfur. We barely made it outside normally, but this time we made it all the way to the lake until Foxtail- then Foxkit- twisted his paw and we had to carry him all the way back to camp." Swiftfoot sat by his tiny daughter's nest, grooming her and telling her a story. "We got such a scolding by Ashstar, even though he was old, I think he wanted to eat us whole!" He continued to lap at her soft fur, unaware that she was fast asleep.

"I'm going to go get some fresh-kill. I'll be back," he promised.

He turned around. "I'm just glad you didn't get yourself killed..." he murmured to her as he left the den, slipping out into the light leaf-fall breeze to go fetch a mouse for his mate.

He padded up next to her, where she lay outside the medicine den. "Where's Breezekit?" he wondered.

"Inside playing moss-ball with himself. Berryleaf's got her eye on him."

He set the mouse down next to Smokethistle, easing down on his paws so he wouldn't hurt the paw recovering from a thorn. He went in for a bite, relishing the comforting, musky taste among all the stress, and letting the breeze soak into his hot, sweaty fur. He pressed closer to his mate.

"I'm just glad they're safe," Smokethistle murmured, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. He sighed, and snuggled into her thick, soft fur, purring.

 **How'd you like the new POV? Sorry if this chapter was a little lackluster. I'll try to update again soon.**

 **QOTD: What do you think of some of the canon relationships? What do you like? What do you hate? What crack pairing do you ship?**

 **Personally, I _hate_ FireSpotted. He barely knew her for two moons, and they barely gave any evidence to prove they liked each other or even spoke to each other much except for the fact that "his heart fluttered when he saw the pretty medicine cat." And the way he always describes her scent as sweet and distinct... Wild cats smell like pee and dead mice. Deal with it.**

 **I do, however, love GraySilver. Millie's a bit of a brat, always fussing over Briarlight... you know the deal. Graystripe and Silverstream truly loved each other and she didn't deserve to die.**

 **A crack pairing I _love_ is JayStick.**

 **IM JUST KIDDING! lol. I ship Barley and Ravenpaw. THEY'RE JUST SO CUTE... The warriors series totally lacks in gay kitties.**

 **Love ya!**

 **~Stormbreeze~**


	10. Chapter 7- Recovery

**I seriously apologize for not posting in so long. It's hard to come up with things sometimes, but I promise I won't stop without warning.**

 **Emberflame: No, Willowkit will recover. My logic for how they weren't injured was that they were in a hole, where the fire was not quite reaching, and when the other warriors came to save them, they managed to get through a break in the flames until Willowkit was burned.**

 **Sharpbreeze: Lol, I totally agree. Now that I think about it, their personalities are a great match.**

 **Wolfwhisper of RiverClan: I'm so sorry about that. Sometimes it's really hard to keep track of who wrote what. The fire was most likely lightning, though Willowkit didn't know, and the reason there wasn't more damage was that the rain put it out quickly.**

Willowkit sighed, rolling over in her nest in the medicine den. It had been nearly two moons since that awful fire... She shuddered just thinking about it. She was eager to get back to her parents and even Breezekit. Smokethistle and Swiftfoot had visited her every day, sometimes bringing Breezekit, who had actually shown some kindness toward her. However, she was still jealous of how he had escaped with only some singed fur, while half the fur on her side had only just begun to grow back, wispy, thin down hardly covering the ugly red burn scars. At least it was growing back... Birchnose had told her about a cat from RiverClan, moons before she was born, that had suffered a massive fire and now only had some grayish tufts on his ears and tail.

She felt mostly better. Now and again, it would sear again, but for the most part, it was relatively painless. And the best part was, Birchnose had deemed it healing well, which was great because about a moon ago he had said to her parents (when she was supposed to be asleep) that she was in danger of dying since she was such a young kit. Since then, she had vowed to never leave again.

Willowkit hoped Breezekit had made some friends in Sunkit, Hawkkit and Rosekit. They had visited her a couple times, but she was positive Berryleaf had forced them in. She did feel like she had a new friend in Rosekit- they had chatted a little bit when the kits visited. The smaller, cream-furred kit was very talkative, and always had a lot to say about everything. Rosekit especially loved gossiping about the apprentices' relationships- apparently Duskpaw had a crush on Sparrowclaw, and Falconpaw was "totally into me." The small she-kit, not even 3 moons old, was head over heels for an apprentice that was nearly 10 moons old. Willowkit found that amusing, as she considered herself a mature kit that was too focused on her great future to be preoccupied with petty crushes. Breezekit, however, disagreed. He had confided in her that he had a crush on Rosekit, which she found hilarious- totally predictable, when there was only one other female kit in the den.

She stretched again, then collapsed into her nest as Birchnose's approaching footsteps sounded up the path. She should have been sleeping, and she hoped that the rise and fall of her wispy-furred, red-scarred flank was convincing. Cracking one blue-green eye open- a few days ago she had noticed the ring around the pupil beginning to lose its sky-blue color and turn grass-green- she carefully watched the black and white tom scuttle around the den, apparently very busy with some herbs. He stacked a few up, grabbed a bundle of yellow flowers in his white maw and leave, glancing toward her face as he left. Willowkit shut her eye quickly, but she was sure he saw her. She curled up in her nest and tried to sleep until Birchnose reentered and prodded her "awake."

"Willowkit. I'm going to put a new poultice on that so the hair can keep growing, and then you can go for a quick walk, alright?"

Willowkit practically jumped with joy. She could finally go outside! She wanted to meet Falconpaw and Duskpaw, see the energetic Sorrelstar again- she'd heard the leader was pleased to hear she was recovering, greet her mother, see the soaring cliffs again. It had been two moons since she had been outside...

As Birchnose chewed up herbs and rubbed them onto her flank, she squirmed in her nest as the juices soaked into her scarred skin. It hurt, but she was used to it. She did her best to wait patiently as the medicine cat wrapped sticky white cobwebs over the poultice to hold it in place. She wriggled and squirmed, her small gray paws itching to feel the rocky ground beneath them. Finally, Birchnose finished. As soon as he stepped away from her, she bolted to her feet, ready to dash away. She had it all planned out. She would run out of the den as fast as her paws could carry her. Her parents would gaze proudly at their daughter, able to overcome anything. Breezekit's fur would turn green with envy. Sorrelstar would make her deputy. She would be famous!

Okay, maybe that was a little far-fetched, she decided.

But in fact, that's not what happened. As soon as she got to her paws, she nearly fell over. The last time she had stood up was nearly a half-moon ago, when she had tried to sneak out for a walk, fell over, and lay there until sunrise, squirming and helpless.

Determined to carry out her plan, she stood shakily to her paws again, and made a mad dash for the entrance. She heard Birchnose give a startled shout as she tripped over her own wobbly paws and face-planted into the dirt. Birchnose stifled a chuckle and padded over to help her up. When he reached her, she hissed through her teeth and got up carefully on her own, wincing as her injured flank seared. She took slow, careful steps, and with Birchnose to lean on, she made it outside.

Blinking in the harsh daylight, she glanced around, still amazed by the enormous cliffs circling around her. The Clan was busy. Sparkface sat by the rockpile, assigning patrols. Warriors talked and ate and shared tongues. The only reason she knew everything about Clan life was that all her visitors would catch her up on everything Breezekit would learn on his own.

Leaning more heavily on Birchnose than she would prefer to admit, she limped over to the nursery, planning to surprise her mother and brother. Birchnose serving as her crutch, she wobbled inside, feeling like a newborn kit trying out its legs for the first time.

Smokethistle was lying half asleep in her nest, eyes half-closed. Berryleaf was grooming her soft, creamy fur. Sunkit and Breezekit were playing moss-ball. Hawkkit was asleep on the ground, stubby brown legs splayed out revealing his fluffy, speckled belly. Rosekit was sitting primly, her tail tucked neatly around her paws and creamy fur neatly groomed. Her pale eyes darted back and forth as she watched the two toms play moss-ball, but Willowkit noticed that her eyes lingered on Breezekit. She chuckled quietly to herself.

Smokethistle started, her round amber eyes flying completely open and trained on Willowkit. She looked at her first with disbelief, then with joy.

"Willowkit! You're up!" she exclaimed, flying out of her nest and covering her daughter in licks. The gray she-kit squirmed under her tongue, but secretly she felt amazing.

The other kits had stopped. Hawkkit was being woken by Sunkit. Rosekit had bounded over to her, tail raised high in greeting.

"Willowkit! I'm _so_ glad you're out and about! I have so much to tell you!" the fluffy she-kit mewed excitedly. Willowkit nodded, suddenly feeling very tired. She glanced over Rosekit's shoulder. Breezekit was padding towards her hesitantly. She noticed that the ring around the pupil of one eye was turning a warm amber-gold color, and the other had the same shade as hers. _Interesting._  
The black tom-kit licked her on the shoulder, and looking at his paws, said,

"I'm glad you're up."

Then he returned to where Hawkkit was still sleeping, Sunkit having given up and giving her a cheery wave of his tail before returning to the game.

Smokethistle licked the top of her head _again,_ and whispered, "I know you must be tired, and you can go back if you want. I love you."

Willowkit nodded. She licked her mother's shoulder, and stumbled back to the medicine den, where she lay down and quickly slept.

 **Fun fact: I was going to make Breezekit bisexual, but I decided that it wouldn't add much to the story, and I already have a planned storyline for him. Rosekit is going to evolve a little like Squirrelflight, where she has a very bold and sometimes obnoxious personality, but evolves into a very developed and mature cat.**

 **QOTD: What's your opinion on Breezekit?**

 **-Stormbreeze**


	11. Chapter 8- Pranking (mini update)

**_I have nothing to say._ On with the chapter! I will respond to reviews next chapter.**

 _Two and a Half Moons Later_

Willowkit smacked the mossball hard into the air, where it soared far past Breezekit and Hawkkit, who frowned in defeat.

"Ha!" Sunkit stuck out his tongue. "We win, you lose."

Breezekit was ready with a sharp retort. "Maybe this time. Next time you'll be crowfood."

"Be nice, Breezekit," Smokethistle mewed. "You can't win everything."

The short-tempered kit growled and turned to Hawkkit, whispering something into Hawkkit's pricked brown ears. _Undoubtedly planning something..._

Willowkit turned to Rosekit and Sunkit. "I think they're going to get us. Knowing Breezekit- he knows to hit where it annoys you the most-, it'll be something to mess up your fur, Rosekit-"

The cream kit made a noise of outrage.

"-Something involving your food, Sunkit,"

The ginger tom frowned. "I don't like food _that_ much."

Rosekit rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do. Face it."

"And something in my bedding, most likely. He knows I love to sleep. So now you know. Be super wary, guys!" With that note, Willowkit left to take a nap, checking her bedding for fire ants just in case. Sunkit went to get food, the flash of his glossy orange pelt in the sun nearly blinding Willowkit. Rosekit sat down and began to groom herself for the third time that day.

* * *

Meanwhile, Breezekit was thinking the same way.

"Hawkkit, what does Rosekit hate?" he wondered.

"Hmm... She _loves_ her fur. She would freak if we did something to it," the golden-brown tabby tom answered, a devilish smile forming on his face.

"All right, then," the black tom said. "Willowkit adores sleeping. We could put fire ants in her nest... And put rabbit dung in Sunkit's food!"

Hawkkit's face suddenly fell. "I bet they're expecting all this... We have to do something better."

Breezekit's odd-colored eyes sparkled. "Let's ask Moonheart!" The silver she-cat was heavily pregnant with Foxtail's kits. She was sassy and bold, and she and her ex-mate (She was raising her kits alone) were the masters of pranking.

"Awesome!" Hawkkit mewed, and the two raced off to find the sassy she-cat.

The sassy she-cat was half asleep in her nest, her belly too swollen to allow her to move much. The two tomkits jumped into her nest, barely fitting, and prodded her excitedly.  
"Moonheart!" Hawkkit loud whispered.

"Shh!" Breezekit hissed. "Moonheart, we wanna prank the other kits. D'you have any ideas?" he continued, more quietly than his friend.

Moonheart groaned. "Can you go away?"

"No!" Hawkkit grinned.

The young queen rolled her eyes. "Fine. One time Foxtail and I smeared mouse bile over Briarfur's nest, food and pelt while she was asleep. Happy?"

Breeezekit nodded, smiling. "C'mon Hawkkit, we have a job to do!"

The two kits ran off to carry out their devious scheme. Let's just say Willowkit, Sunkit and Rosekit had a really bad day, and Hawkkit and Breezekit were nursery-confined for a quarter-moon.

* * *

 _Their 6-moon Birthday_

Today was the day of their apprentice ceremony. Moonheart's 5 - yes, 5 - kits (taking OCs until next chapter!)watched with envy in their eyes as the kits were groomed for their big day. Rosekit's amber eyes glittered as her mother groomed her soft fur until it shone. Sunkit was grooming himself, and Hawkkit was waiting his turn. Willowkit and Breezekit were held down by both their parents as they tried to wiggle their way away from Smokethistle's tongue.

 **Short filler. You guys deserve a lil bit more. Thank you all!**

 **Next update is the ceremony! OCs needed for Moonheart's kits- two toms and 3 she-cats. I will pick my favorites, but only 1 or 2 from a person!**

 **~Stormbreeze~**


	12. Chapter 9- Finally

**Now comes the big day... Pretty darn typical. Expect lots of cliches. It is really long though, so I expect lots of reviews. =)**

 **I'm a little disappointed that I only had one person submit OCs. Thank you Emberflame.**

 **OCs: Foxtail is a minor character in the allegiances. We don't have much background on many of the warriors due to the fact that they don't see them much. We'll get to know them more.**

 **Emberflame: Thanks for the OCs! I picked Lilackit, Copperkit and Ripplekit.**

Willowkit squirmed underneath her mother's tongue, desperately trying to wriggle away from her incessant grooming. She was practically an apprentice; she could groom herself! Next to her, Breezekit was pinned down underneath Swiftfoot's paws, squirming and flailing. His sleek black fur was spiked up and dirty- he needed to be groomed. Desperately.

She decided to just give it up, going limp and allowing Smokethistle to rasp her tongue over her soft gray pelt. She had to admit, it felt kind of good. She had a mother who cared about her. Beside her, Breezekit had finally collapsed, reluctantly letting Swiftfoot tame his wild pelt. Moonheart's 5 kits- Lilackit, Copperkit, Ripplekit, Russetkit and Morningkit- watched as they and Berryleaf's kits were groomed, their wide blue eyes peeking over the side of their nest. Moonheart herself was grooming her kits quietly, the feisty she-cat far more mature since the hard birth of her kits a half-moon ago. Willowkit wondered if she had been like that.

The ceremony was a double ceremony- Duskpaw and Falconpaw were recieving their warrior names as well. Moonheart had been Duskpaw's mentor, until she got pregnant. Her training was then switched to Gorseclaw for the last two moons. Willowkit knew Duskpaw pretty well. The calico was bright, funny and friendly, and an excellent hunter. Willowkit couldn't wait until she became an apprentice so she could be mature enough to talk to a warrior!

Smokethistle abruptly stopped grooming her. "The ceremony's starting! Hurry, but don't mess up your fur!"

The eager kits hurried out of the den, Berryleaf's trailing behind them. They gathered below the base of the rocks, staring at the crowd of cats around them. Duskpaw and Falconpaw padded out of the apprentices' den, sleek and prim, heads held high with pride. Berryleaf and Smokethistle stood side by side, eyes shining.

Sorrelstar began, "Duskpaw and Falconpaw. You have passed your warriors' assessments and are ready to be made warriors." She gave them the names Dusklight and Falconswift, and the cats' yellow and blue sets of eyes shone with pride.

Then it was the kits' turn. Rosekit went first, strutting up to the rock with her head held high.

"Rosekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this day forward, you will be known as Rosepaw. Your mentor will be..." Sorrelstar's amber eyes searched the crowd, resting on a certain cat. "Spiderstep. I hope she will pass down all her training and knowledge to you, Rose _paw._ " Rosepaw's eyes shone and she sat up straight, meeting eyes with the lanky she-cat.

Sorrelstar continued. "Spiderstep, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Grassberry, and though she is now deceased, she watches over us. You have shown excellent bravery and intelligence in multiple events, and I trust you to pass on your skills to Rosepaw."

Spiderstep padded over and touched noses with her apprentice, tail high in the air. Rosepaw seemed to radiate happiness as she padded over to greet her mother.

Sorrelstar repeated the process with Sunkit and Hawkkit, naming them Sunpaw and Hawkpaw and giving them the mentors Briarfur and Nightstorm, respectively. Then it was Breezekit's turn. The black tom seemed to be doing his best to act haughty and indifferent, but his tail twitched and his odd-colored eyes gleamed. Sorrelstar began her words.

"Breezekit, you are six moons old, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, you will be known as Breezepaw." The newly named Breezepaw glanced at his sister, eyes bright and holding a spark of smugness.

"Your mentor will be Sparkface."

Breezepaw's tail shot up, and his ears pricked.

 _Sparkface!?_ Willowkit couldn't believe it. The deputy? Her misbehaving, annoying, bothersome brother got the deputy? The fun, laid-back, easygoing warrior everyone admired? Her _brother?_ She couldn't imagine that she had been chosen to discipline him- the ginger and white warrior was far too.. well, not strict.

She snapped back to attention when Sorrelstar called her name. Giving her head a brief shake and trying to clear her face of envy, she turned to the tortoiseshell warrior.

"Willowkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, you will be known as Willowpaw."

 _Willowpaw._ The new apprentice sounded it out in her head. _I like it,_ she decided. Now, to find out her mentor. She hoped she would get a good fit, but she didn't quite trust Sorrelstar. After all, she had picked Sparkface for Breezepaw.

Sorrelstar continued. "Your mentor will be Shadeleaf."

The gray tabby she-cat, mother of Dusklight and Falconswift, was strict, but an experienced, loyal warrior who had served her clan for many moons and had the scars to prove it. While she had hoped for the beautiful, swift Oakwing or laid-back, funny Briarfur, she was pleased with her result.

Sorrelstar said the words for Shadeleaf, pronouncing her as experienced and brave, and naming her Willowpaw's mentor.

She turned her attention to the crowd, basking in their cheers.

"Rosepaw! Hawkpaw! Sunpaw! Breezepaw! Willowpaw!" the Clan yowled. Willowpaw closed her eyes briefly, letting the praise wash over her. Finally, after moons of recovery, she was an apprentice!

Soon after, Willowpaw and Breezepaw met their parents. Smokethistle nuzzled each of her children, murmuring praise and grooming their fur. Swiftfoot stood in the background, grinning and holding his head high, proud of his only kits. Willowkit only paid half-attention, eager to meet her mentor and get started, but she still appreciated her mother's praise.

"Wow, Breezepaw! Sparkface is an accomplished warrior, and you should consider yourself lucky you got the deputy," Swiftfoot congratulated Breezepaw.

Willowpaw pouted.

Quickly, Swiftfoot attempted to save himself. "And Shadeleaf is an excellent, experienced warrior, and she is a great fit for you. You should be proud." Willowpaw wasn't convinced.

"Did you know she was deputy for about 4 moons a long time ago, when I was an apprentice? Then she had her first litter, Oakwing and Sparrowclaw, and decided to give the position to Sparkface because she wanted to stay with her sick mate, who died just before Dusklight and Falconswift were born. She never returned."

"Really?" Willowpaw perked up.

"Really," Smokethistle chimed in. "I don't know if you knew this, but she and Gorseclaw are my older siblings. My other sister, Specklekit caught greencough when she was two moons old."

 _Interesting,_ Willowpaw thought.

"Well," Swiftfoot mewed, "Time for you to meet your mentors!"

Willowpaw and Breezepaw padded over to Sparkface, Shadeleaf, Rosepaw, Hawkpaw and Sunpaw and their mentors.

"Nice to meet you, Willowpaw," Shadeleaf greeted her. The warrior was older, but she was lean, sleek and muscular, and she clearly had a lot of life left in her excited green eyes.

"We've worked out a sort-of schedule," Sparkface said. "Each day, we'll split in half and work on different skills. Then we'll switch the next day. Our first groups are: Sunpaw, Rosepaw and Breezepaw, and Willowpaw and Hawkpaw. Your mentors will tell you what you're doing."

Willowpaw grouped up with Hawkpaw, Shadeleaf and Nightstorm. She could immediately tell why Sorrelstar had picked Nightstorm. The quiet, meticulous tom would help put a damper on Hawkpaw's headstrong and reckless attitude.

"Today, your task is a tour of the territory. The other group is starting with learning how to clean bedding." said Shadeleaf. Hawkpaw let out a sigh of relief, and Nightstorm fixed him with a stern yellow glare.. He shut up quickly after that.

The group of four exited the camp, winding through the enormous trees. Willowpaw faintly remembered the day when she had sneaked away, but it had been dark, and she was very young. Hawkpaw was in awe at the size of the forest, gasping and frequently exclaiming things like "Wow!" and "This is huge!" Willowpaw rolled her eyes. He was so immature, she thought. She kept to herself the wonder that she felt as her small, weak paws struggled to carry her across the bumpy, winding terrain. But like her wonder, she kept her complaints to herself.

Their mentors stopped a few times, showing them an enormous tree and a soft, mossy hollow. The hollow was where they would do much of their battle training, and the tree was called the Star Maple because of the way it seemed to touch the stars. Willowpaw's legs felt anxious to climb it. Her build was light, slender and long-legged, with strong hind legs and flexible paws, perfect for climbing. She felt an itch to climb to the very top, look out over the four clans, be on top of the world. It called to her, and she was close to scrambling up the trunk when she realized her group was calling to her. Quickly, she scrambled over to the rest of her patrol, nearly tripping twice. Hawkpaw was giving her an odd look- the sturdy tom, despite his name, did not like heights.

The foursome trekked on, weaving through the trees. The two older cats padded over the mossy, plant covered ground with expertly silent paws, while the apprentices stumbled over roots with loud, inexperienced and sensitive feet. After Hawkpaw complained for the fourth time about his aching legs, Shadeleaf called a rest. Relieved, Willowpaw flopped onto the ground, panting. Hawkpaw looked like he might fall asleep. Nightstorm and Shadeleaf were calm, collected and breathing easy.

"Alright, 'paws," said Nightstorm. "Coming up soon are three important pieces of our territory. The WindClan border, which we will follow to the lake, then the ShadowClan border. At the border we will teach you about patrolling, scent-marking and the rules of trespassing. Right now, what you need to know is this. You absolutely may NEVER cross the border unless ordered to by a senior warrior, which we only do in the event that they need our help. If you see a patrol from another clan, treat them politely. If you see them crossing our border, you alert one of us _immediately._ Do not attempt to fight them off. Understood?"

Willowpaw nodded somberly, determined to be the most well-behaved apprentice Shadeleaf had ever seen.

The group continued to the WindClan border. The forest opened up into a bleak, treeless stretch of rolling hills as far as she could see, sliced through by a narrow river close to the edge of the trees. She wrinkled her nose as a pungent scent wafted over her, smelling faintly of rabbits and heather.

"What's that nasty smell?" Hawkpaw whined. He had his nose wrinkled as well.

"This is the WindClan border. The scent you smell is the scent of the WindClan cats. Their leader is named Duststar and their deputy is Icewhisker," Nightstorm explained.

"But why do they smell so awful?" Hawkpaw complained.

"I'm sure we smell just as bad to them," Shadeleaf said.

Their mentors showed them how to mark their scent on the borders. Shadeleaf told them about how patrols came in the morning and the evening to mark the borders, and how other patrols were sent out during the day to hunt for the clan.

"Once you're older, you will be able to go on these patrols. For now, we might bring you on a border patrol to learn the basics until you are more experienced hunters and fighters. And after these first couple lessons, you will have two lessons a day, for hunting and fighting. Sometimes we will split up, sometimes we will do a group fighting practice, sometimes you might have a session off for various reasons, like if you had a dawn patrol or an assessment," she explained.

Willowpaw couldn't wait to learn how to hunt and fight. Her mother and father had taught her the basics of the warrior code while she was healing, so she knew that pretty well. Don't cross other clans' borders. Don't have an outside relationship. Queens, kits and elders come first.

The group continued on down the border until they came to a stretch of sandy, rocky ground. Beyond that was a huge expanse of rippling blue-green-brown water, rimmed by trees on the ShadowClan and partially ThunderClan side. In the far distance, a mound rose out of the water. Willowpaw gasped in awe. _This must be the lake._

She dashed forward across the damp sand, wanting to soak her sore paws in the refreshing-looking water and cool off her pelt. The sun was high in the sky, beginning to set just slightly, and it was hot still despite it being leaf-fall. Sand got in-between her toes and sprayed into her face as she pounded across the shore. She didn't notice the way all three cats lookes at her like she was insane as she splashed into the cold water, enjoying the way it washed the heat from her sleek fur and soothed her blistering paws. The mud on the bottom was silky and cold, and her paws sunk into it gratefully. She waded in deeper until the water was up to her neck, refreshed and relaxed. Confident she could swim, she pushed off the bottom and flailed her paws as hard as she could. She could imagine the way that her streamlined shape would slice through the water gracefully. The water would stream from her sleek pelt. Her strong paws would catch whatever prey lurked in the water.

As you probably figured by now, that's not what happened.

Long story short, she sank.

Flailing and yelling, she paddled desperately for the shore. She relaxed once her paws touched the sand and she stood up, snorting water out her nose and coughing. Shadeleaf looked concerned and a little exasperated, Nightstorm looked amused, and Hawkpaw was blatantly laughing.

Willowpaw got up, shook herself off and began to groom the water out of her fur. Thankfully, the water slid easily off her pelt, and while she was chilly, the hot midday sun quickly dried her off.

Nightstorm decided that they would leave the lake and finish up the tour quickly. Nobody said a word as they continued down the shoreline. Willowpaw shuffled her paws and stared at the ground, her eartips red. Hawkpaw walked by his mentor, head held high. No doubt he though she was odd. He had made a smart remark about her being part fish earlier, and Nightstorm shut him up with a cuff over the ear.

They continued down the shore and up when the trees started to turn pine, along the border that smelled of mud and pine needles, except worse. Nightstorm quietly explained that this was the ShadowClan border. The leader was Violetstar, he said, and the deputy was Sootclaw.

Willowpaw liked the names, though she thought they were a little bit bland.

They followed the trail for a while, stopping at various intervals to see different features of the forest. They had stopped briefly in a clearing shared by both clans when another patrol approached from the other side. It consisted of a muscular yellow tabby tom, a black and white she-cat, a dark brown tabby tom and two apprentices, a ginger tom and a black she-cat. The yellow tom led the patrol, and he dipped his head respectfully.

"Greetings, Nightstorm, Shadeleaf," said the tom.

"Good day, Sandythorn. Hollynose, Brackenclaw, nice to see you." said Nightstorm. Shadeleaf nodded a greeting.

"May I inquire how Mistleheart's and your kits are, Sandythorn?" Shadeleaf asked.

Sandythorn puffed out his chest with pride. "Excellent. We have three toms and a she-cat: Frostkit, Bramblekit, Twigkit and Hazelkit."

"I wish them good health."

Willowpaw noticed that the three warriors looked relaxed, while the apprentices, not much bigger than they were, were bristling and wary. Their eyes darted around and their claws were unsheathed. She noted that while they were not much bigger, they undoubtedly had more training. She edged closer to Shadeleaf.

Meanwhile, Hawkpaw was imitating the apprentices. He bushed out his fur and bared his teeth slightly. He was bigger than them, but then again, he was a large cat, and still had no training except for the mock fights they had played as kits.

The older cats' dialogue continued. "I see you have some new apprentices?" Brackenclaw, the brown tabby, inquired.

"Yes. We have Willowpaw," (Willowpaw waved her tail slightly) "and Hawkpaw with us now, and three others. Breezepaw, Rosepaw and Sunpaw," said Shadeleaf.

"Nice to meet you, Willowpaw and Hawkpaw," he said. The other two nodded. "We have new apprentices of our own. Scorchpaw, Thistlepaw and Lionpaw were apprenticed about a half-moon ago. Thistlepaw and Lionpaw are here today." The two apprentices relaxed slightly, fur slicking down.

"Congratulations. Now, we had best be getting back," said Nightstorm. He nodded goodbye and left the border, retreating into the trees. The others followed suit.

The walk back to camp was quiet and uneventful. Shadeleaf scented a mouse and hunted it, finding a nest of several. They ate quickly and returned home as the sun began to set. Willowpaw was worn out and exhausted, and still hungry. She selected a vole from the pile and settled down to eat. Rosepaw sat beside her, a thrush in her jaws.

"So how was your day?" she asked.

"Good," Willowpaw mumbled through a juicy mouthful of vole.

"That's nice. Ours was so boring. Spiderstep is all right, but she's strict. Briarfur is really nice, she's laid-back and really helpful. Sparkface sort of led, but she wasn't too special-acting or anything. She was mostly like a normal warrior. But I guess that's what they're supposed to do..." Rosepaw blabbered on for a good while, until they had finished eating.

"I made you a nest. Breezepaw made Hawkpaw one," Rosepaw said. Willowpaw thanked her, and staggered into the den. There were many nests open. The one smelling faintly of Breezepaw was in between Rosepaw's and Hawkpaw's, who was already sleeping soundly. Hers, a nice fresh one, was near Rosepaw's and Sunpaw's. Two more nests, well-used, sat empty. _Dusklight and Falconswift's nests._

She curled up in her nest, and she and Rosepaw gossiped quietly until Rosepaw fell asleep. She didn't look forward to tomorrow, but she was proud to finally be serving her Clan. With that comforting thought, she fell into a warm, dreamless sleep.

 **Boom. 3000 words. Biggest chapter yet! I'm super excited.  
** **Shadeleaf is the perfect match for Willowpaw. Her energetic personality and thirst for knowledge match up perfectly with Shadeleaf's calm, slightly strict personality, which will keep her in line, and her experience. She will be able to teach her lots of things.**

 **Sparkface, while she may not seem like the best choice, will help Breezepaw relax his edgy, bitter personality. She may not show it, but she has a lot of discipline in her.**

 **Cookies to anyone who can guess who I named Willowpaw and Breezepaw after.**

 **RiverClan Allegiances up soon.**

 **-Stormbreeze**


	13. Chapter 10- Sore Paws

**Day 2 of apprenticeship! This one is shorter than the last, because they're just doing chores, etc.**

 **Tbh disappointed again. If you read my story, please review! Thanks again Emberflame.**

 **Emberflame: You are partially right. I modeled Breezepaw after Breezepelt, slightly less ambitious and mean, but that's not really who I named him after. Hint: I named them both after one cat, who is from my favorite book that I mentioned.**

 **RiverClan Allegiances**

Leader: Rushstar, a slender brown tabby tom with short, sleek fur and almond-shaped golden-amber eyes

Deputy: Skystream, a graceful silver tabby she-cat with white paws, dark green eyes

Medicine cat: Wolfwhisper, a silver she-cat with dark black stripes. Blue eyes. Twisted front paw.

Apprentice: Pebblepaw, a gray she-cat with black spots, deep blue eyes

Warriors

Lilyeyes, a pale gray she-cat with an amber and a green eye.

Shadetail, a gray marbled tabby tom with yellow eyes

Kestrelfrost, a dark brown and white tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Silverpaw, a silver tabby she-cat

Sedgewillow, a graceful brown tabby she-cat

Blackhawk, a pure black tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Mistlepaw, a pale gray she-cat

Sageblaze, a pale ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Primrosepool, a dilute tortoiseshell with a white chest and paws, amber eyes

Apprentice: Birdpaw, a gray marble she-cat

Tawnyleaf, a slim fox-red tom

Apprentice: Treepaw, a thick-furred dark brown tom with green eyes and longer fur around his paws. Bushy tail.

Birchcloud, a gray, black and white tom with long, soft fur that isn't good for swimming. Because of this he often helps with the camp chores and border patrols.

Ivyscar, a calico she-cat with a long, winding scar on her back

Apprentice: Fawnpaw, a pale red-brown she-cat with a white belly

Swiftfur, a golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Ripplefire, a ginger marbled tabby she-cat with a white chest and blazing ice-blue eyes

Flamedust, a ginger tabby tom with white-tipped fur and yellow eyes

Apprentice: Barkpaw, a dark brown tabby tom

Dawnfrost, a cream and white she-cat with blue eyes

Appleflower, a tortoiseshell and white she-cat with golden eyes

Lakeflame, a sleek gray she-cat with amber eyes

Cedartalon, a dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Queens

Nightflower, a black she-cat with a fluffy tail and blue eyes. Expecting Swiftfur's kits.

Mistwater, a soft-furred pale grey she-cat with pale green eyes, mother of Kestrelfrost's kits: Briarkit, a dark brown and white she-cat with long, soft fur, green eyes, Ashenkit, a pale gray tom with dusky blue-gray eyes, Sparrowkit, a dark gray and white she-cat with a sturdy build and amber eyes. 4 moons old.

Bluegorse, a spiky-furred blue-gray she-cat, mother of Flamedust's kit, Owlkit, a dark ginger tom. 1 moon old.

Elders

Shimmerpool, a pale gray she-cat with a lustrous sheen to her coat. Relatively young and still pretty.

Tanglethorn, a spiky-furred old brown tabby tom with cloudy yellow eyes. All bark, no bite. Soft spot for kits.

Sedgeheart, a small pale brown tabby she-cat with round green eyes.

 **Cats outside the Clans**

Kittypets

Curry, a fat ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes

Jazz, a sleek black she-cat with bright green eyes

Mysti, a sleek Egyptian Mau with glittering blue eyes. Very conceited

Midge, a small dark brown Burmese with yellow eyes

Rogues/Loners

Bear, a large dark brown tom with odd eyes (rogue)

O'Shea, a handsome black and white tom with blue eyes

Cinnamon, a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes. O'Shea's mate

Reed, a ginger tom with amber eyes. Cinnamon and O'Shea's kit

Daisy, a black and white she-cat with amber eyes. Cinnamon and O'Shea's kit

* * *

Willowpaw woke to unfamiliar surroundings. The den she was in was lower, sunken into the ground, and it was smaller. She was alone in her nest, but still surrounded by the same cats she had grown up next to- minus one. Breezepaw was missing, his nest indented in his body shape and warm, scattered with black hairs, but empty nevertheless. She yawned and arched her back and slipped out to make dirt, careful not to wake anyone else by weaving through the nest. She almost stepped on Rosepaw's fluffy tail, but she managed to dodge it.

Outside, it was chilly and dark. The sun had just begun to poke over the hills, casting a slight rosy glow. Most of the camp was still asleep. It was silent except for the chirping of a few birds in the trees. It was peaceful.

Sparkface padded out of the warriors' den, fur sticking up and yawning. She arched her back and settled by the fresh-kill pile, which contained only a stale finch and a scrawny shrew, to groom herself. Willowpaw waved her tail in greeting and slipped through the dirtplace entrance. Once she finished, she returned to find Breezepaw lurking by the camp entrance, a dark shadow among the brambles. Sparkface was waiting outside, and didn't notice Breezepaw. Once she entered, Breezepaw slipped inside. He didn't notice her until she padded up to him and hissed in his ear,

"Where were you? You shouldn't be out of camp alone!"

Breezepaw looked down. "I just went for a walk," he mumbled.

Willowpaw rolled her eyes, but didn't press him. "Don't do it again."

He murmured assent and stalked away, grabbing the shrew from the pile and gulping it down before grooming himself.

Willowpaw didn't want the finch, so she sat down to wait for the first hunting patrol to return, grooming her messy fur while she waited. Sometimes the burn on her side still stung, though it was mostly covered by silvery fur by now.

The patrol returned soon, Foxtail, Falconswift, Oakwing, Spiderstep and Sparrowclaw all returning with mouthfuls of juicy prey. They deposited the prey on the pile with a quiet greeting to Willowpaw, then chose a piece to eat. Willowpaw took a mouse and scarfed it down, then returned to her den, hoping to get a little more sleep in before it was time to train.

She lay down and lay awake, unable to sleep, until Sparkface padded inside. "Wake up, wake up! If you haven't already, get a piece of prey- the dawn hunting patrol is back. Then find your group from yesterday and get ready to go!" She then left the den.

Hawkpaw remained sound asleep. Rosepaw was immediately awake and prodding her brothers awake, who both groaned and grudgingly got up. Willowpaw followed.

She found Shadeleaf eating a mouse next to Spiderstep. Her mentor quickly finished up. "Morning, Willowpaw. I'm going to go see if Nightstorm is ready. Wait by Sparkface, okay?" She padded off in search of the pitch-black tom.

Willowpaw obeyed and sat down. Breezepaw was already there, sitting quietly, with his odd-colored eyes glazed over with boredom. She settled down a few tail-lengths away from him and listened to Sparkface assign patrols admiringly. _Someday I want to be up there, with everyone respecting me,_ she decided.

"Owlwing, Thornwhisker, Feathernose, you're hunting. Bramblepelt, Swiftfoot, Dusklight, WindClan border." The assigned patrols gathered together quickly and left. "Gorseclaw, take the leftovers to ShadowClan border. Mentors, find your apprentices down here." She leaped off the rock and joined her group of Breezepaw, Rosepaw, Sunpaw, Briarfur and Spiderstep. Willowpaw found Shadeleaf, Hawkpaw and Nightstorm.

"Okay, 'paws," said Shadeleaf. "Today, we're going over a few things about discipline, chores and punishments. First we go over various punishments for various offenses against the code, which your parents should have taught you about. Got it?"

Hawkpaw rolled his eyes, earning him a glare, and nodded. Willowpaw nodded as well.

"Alright. Let's gather around the rocks and sit down." They obeyed, forming a small circle.

Shadeleaf stood. "Let's get to the point. The biggest offenses are, and listen up because I will only say this once, having relationships outside of our Clan, having kits with anyone before you are a warrior, leaving camp for any reason without a warrior or permission from one of us, Sparkface or Sorrelstar, trespassing on another Clan's land or failing to protect your Clan in the event of battle or betraying your clan. The punishment for these may result in your apprenticeship being postponed or, in severe cases, exile. Otherwise, the mentor may do as they see fit. Other offenses include feeding yourself before kits and elders, disrespecting any other cat, or simply not following our orders."

Willowpaw made a mental note of all the rules she would follow. _No outside relationships. No kits. No leaving camp alone. No trespassing. No betraying. Kits and elders eat first. No disrespectful behavior. Follow orders._ She was sure Breezepaw thought they were unfair and harsh, but she herself agreed with them.

She turned her head to look at Hawkpaw. He sat rigidly, staring into the distance. Undoubtedly trying to wrap his thick head around the rules.

"Okay. Now chores. You apprentices have various thing you need to do. Once you learn how to hunt, we expect you to bring back at least one piece of prey from every patrol or hunting session. This prey goes straight to the elders and queens. Once you have done that, you may eat. If a warrior hasn't eaten yet, you must make sure they can eat before you take something. Times you will be able to eat are after the dawn patrol if you do it, before your morning session, and after your afternoon session. You most likely won't be able to eat in between, because you will mostly be sleeping or out hunting with your mentor," explained Nightstorm.

Willowpaw made a quick note of that as well.

"You have other chores as well. You may be assigned to clean the elders' nests as a punishment or as a routine chore. You may also have to clean out the nursery, help repair dens or build new ones if necessary. Sometimes you may have to do the elders' ticks and fleas. Birchnose will teach you about that."

She stifled a groan. Mouse bile smelled terrible- she smelled it often during her time in the medicine den. Hawkpaw looked confused, and she decided to spare him the horror until later.

"First chore: Moss-gathering. Yesterday you saw that mossy hollow where we train. Near that is a large tree and an expanse of soft moss for gathering. That's where we usually get moss from."

Willowpaw knew it was coming, yet she was still disappointed. Hawkpaw looked downright angry, and she flicked her tail over his mouth as he began to comment. The stocky tom shot her a glare. She leaned over and whispered, "Just deal with it." The sharp-tongued tom looked irritated, but kept his mouth shut.

 _He's learning._ She grinned.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" mewed Shadeleaf impatiently. Hawkpaw rolled his eyes, but followed as they left camp.

Shadeleaf led the group through the forest, towards the lake. They ran into the other patrol briefly as they left the mossy hollow, and greetings were exchanged. Shadeleaf then turned and led them a little ways to the left before stopping at a large tree. Again Willowpaw felt the itching urge in her paws, begging her to climb the tree just like she had been drawn to the lake and the Star Maple. She forced it down and turned to listen to Nightstorm.

"To tear up moss, you have to be careful not to shred it. Get your claws into a good clump, and sort of slice it out in large pieces. Like this."

He worked his broad black paws down into a large, soft clump of bedding and used his claws to sever the roots, slicing the dirty, wet roots away from the precious soft moss. Once the clump had been severed, he shook off the dirt and set it down, working on another clump.

Willowpaw and Hawkpaw got to work. She found her long claws and broad paws helped greatly with the tedious chore, and soon she had a large pile of moss. Hawkpaw was doing well too, though his shorter, stockier legs made it harder. Despite the aid her limbs gave her, it still felt like eternity before Shadeleaf announced they could finish. She then demonstrated how to carry it back. Tucking the moss under her chin and gathering the remains in her jaws, she looked very awkward. Hawkpaw giggled, until he had to do the same. Willowpaw found it hard to carry all the moss, as she was the smallest of the four and had a slim build. She gathered as much as possible and waddled back to camp.

It was sun-high, and Willowpaw was looking forward to a meal and a rest for her sore paws. Sadly, that wasn't the case. The group sat down and methodically de-thorned the moss, slowly dragging claws through the moss, and discarding whatever thorns they came across. It was miserable work. Her pads were blistered and sore, not used to all the walking, her claws were pulled and painful from all the slicing of moss, and she had tufts of moss between her toes, stuck to her pelt, in her ears, everywhere. Finally the dethorning was done, but that still wasn't the end. They now had to replace the elders' nests with clean moss- thank StarClan there were only two of them.

She took a load of fresh moss and dragged it into the small den. The elders were gone, out sunning on the rocks, soaking up the last of the light before leaf-bare. She made sure to tread lightly on her aching paws, and made a note of seeing Birchnose later. Tucking up the stale, smelly moss under her chin and wrinkling her nose at the stench, she dragged it across camp to the moss dump, a pile of old moss by the dirtplace that was used to carpet the smelly dirt every few days. Smokethistle had explained that every year, the apprentices would be assigned to dig out all the moss and dirt. It was dreaded by everyone, and Willowpaw hoped she wouldn't have to endure it.

Heading back over to the den, she then checked over the moss quickly, making sure it was thorn-free, before laying down a soft sheet of new moss in the dip in the ground where Minttail's nest lay. She knew the ancient elder could be cranky, so she made sure everything was perfect and soft, without lumps. Once she was satisfied with her work, she made a beeline for the fresh-kill pile. Feeling starved, she snatched up the biggest vole, her favorite, and chowed down.

After she finished, which took a good amount of time and left her feeling a little stomach-achy, she went to Birchnose. The black-and-white tom was sorting herbs, and looked up when she entered.

"Sore paws, huh?" he remarked.

"Yep," Willowpaw sighed. She liked the quiet medicine cat. He was young, nervous and friendly, and was very gentle-hearted. He was smart and well-trained, and always knew what to do.

"Alright. I'll make you a poultice of yarrow and coltsfoot. Hawkpaw complained of sore paws as well, and I told him the same thing. I'll bind the poultice to your paws, and then you must lie down to let it soothe your paws. And if your paw joints are aching, I can put on some daisy-leaf around your ankles." **(Do cats have ankles?)**

Willowpaw agreed and sat down in the guest-nest, stretching out her front paws and examining the red blisters and small scratches where she had been pricked by thorns. A few moments later, Birchnose returned with a glob of chewed plants on a slice of bark clasped in his jaws. He scooped some with his paws and massaged it into her blistery, sore pads. She winced at the sting, but after a few moments she noticed that her paws felt soothed and less sore. Birchnose applied the last of the poultice and wrapped her paws in cobweb. Then he retreated to his herb stocks and came back with some long leaves with jagged edges clutched in his mouth. He tore them apart and let the juices drip onto a scrap of moss, which he then dabbed onto her ankles. The cool juice seeped into her achy bones, and she sighed in relief.

Birchnose tossed away the moss and herb scraps and sent her on her way. "Just remember, your pads will get tougher in time. You won't need to get a poultice on every time you gather moss."

Back in the apprentices' den, Hawkpaw was fast asleep, bandaged paws hanging over the edge of his nest, face pressed into the moss. Willowpaw imitated his position and relaxed. The noise in camp became greater- patrols had come back. When it silenced again, she finally slept.

Later, when the other apprentices arrived, she awoke again. Breezepaw stumbled into his nest and passed out. Rosepaw settled calmly in her nest and groomed herself quietly. Sunpaw padded in quietly, yawning, sat down and curled up to sleep. Willowpaw quickly slept as well.

 **Fun facts: Odd eyes are somewhat more common in the Clans because, a few generations back, several kittypets bred to have odd eyes and reproduce those genes escaped into the wild. They bred with Clan cats and now there are odd eyes scattered throughout, such as Lilyeyes of RiverClan and Breezepaw. Plus Bear the rogue.**

 **The reason Willowpaw feels drawn to both the trees and the water is that she has both SkyClan and RiverClan blood, which imprinted deeply on her. Smokethistle, her mother, also likes to climb, with broad paws and strong legs like her daughter. The RiverClan comes from Swiftfoot. Being a distant descendant of Fallowtail and Reedfeather, he also has WindClan blood, giving him his speed.**

 **~Stormbreeze~**


	14. Chapter 11- On The Hunt

**NOTE: Breezepaw's eyes are now blue and amber as opposed to green and amber.**

 **NOTE 2: I changed Bramblepelt's name to Bramblestripe in the updated allegiances because I'm inconsistent and don't like Bramblepelt anymore.**

 **NOTE 3: Cookies to Emberflame and VinejayVinewings for guessing the cat correctly! It is Willowbreeze from Crookedstar's Promise!**

 **Emberflame (1): Ding ding ding! Willowbreeze it is! Honestly, she's my favorite character. She has such an interesting plotline, something I wish the latest books would have. Her name is beautiful, and her relationship with Crookedstar is perfect. Plus, she's just a kind, funny, amazing cat and did NOT deserve to die.** **Thanks for the ankle info. I found that really interesting! (2) Sure. I'm developing some more rogues and kittypets for the later story and I'd be glad to accept it! (3) Sparkface is a she-cat. I accidentally made her a tom in the allegiances and I gotta go fix that.**

 **twinkle . exe (chapter 3) Thank you!**

 **VinejayVinewings: Thanks so much! You are correct!**

"Hi, Willowpaw!"

Willowpaw woke with a start. Rosepaw's pretty cream-furred face, complete with little pink nose, was hovering above her. Her almond-shaped amber eyes gleamed with excitement, her tufted ears, free of kit down unlike the rest of them, were pricked, and her whiskers stuck straight out. The sun was bright, and the rest of the den was empty. _Oh no! Today's our first hunting day! Have I overslept?_

She leapt to her paws in a panic **(at the disco)** and raced outside. The clan was bustling with energy. Sparkface assigned patrols. The elders lay outstretched on the broad slab of rock near the rockpile, soaking up the early sun rays. Bramblestripe and Sorrelstar shared tongues by the fresh-kill pile. The apprentices were scatteered around. Breezepaw was by the fresh-kill pile, chowing down on a chaffinch. Hawkpaw was chatting to Dusklight, who kept trying to edge away. Sunpaw waited patiently next to the rockpile. She spun around at a soft mew behind her. Rosepaw stood there, looking mildly concerned.

"Willowpaw, what are you doing? Your fur is so messy! Why are you in such a rush?"

Willowpaw sighed. "Why is it so late? I should've been woken up ages ago!"

"Today's our hunting lesson. Since it's just one thing today, it's shorter and we're starting later." Rosepaw looked slightly impatient, her jaw clenched and whiskers twitching. Despite her calm, proper outer demeanor, she was quick-tempered, and a bit sassy. Willowpaw thought it was funny how much she and Breezepaw bounced off each other, their short-tempered personalities clashing.

Willowpaw rolled her eyes inwardly at herself. She should have known that! Now she looked stupid in front of her Clan-mates. She sighed and headed to get some breakfast, sitting down next to her brother. The black tom had polished off his chaffinch, and was now working on his pelt with long, soft strokes. He looked calm and content, a change from his usual grumpiness. His blue and amber eyes were half-closed, and his whiskers relaxed. His fur was shorter and sleeker than hers, yet thick enough to keep him warm in the cold. While she envied its ability to be easily cleanable and its more practical length that wouldn't snag on brambles, she certainly wasn't jealous of his glossy, raven-black fur. He practically roasted in greenleaf!

She sat down, grabbing a small mouse- she wanted to save room for eating later. She had overeaten before, and it wasn't fun. Despite her small size, she had a big appetite, and the mouse was scrawny and felt like nothing in her belly. She tried to convince herself that she shouldn't eat, but the other part of her said that you work better on a full belly, so she chose a shrew. It settled better in her stomach, more satisfying.

She had just begun to work on her pelt when a bitter, cold breeze blew through, ruffling her light greenleaf coat and chilling her to the bone. A few browning leaves scattered the ground.

"Leaf-bare is coming, and it seems like a cold one," murmured Bramblestripe.

"We're not even in the tenth moon yet, and it's getting colder by the day!" Oakwing chimed in.

"It was such a warm leaf-bare last year, and the snow had melted by the third moon!" complained thick-furred Foxtail, who was fixed with a glare by his sister, Briarfur.

"We don't all have your _luxurious_ coat, Foxy," she grumbled.

Willowpaw sighed for the third time that morning. She was born just after the last of the snow had gone, when it was already warm out. Her coat never had to thicken, and it didn't seem like it would soon. She didn't look forward to the cold season.

"Alright, paws, gather round here!" yowled Sparkface from where she stood. Willowpaw and Breezepaw stood up and headed over to where the eight other cats stood.

"Okay. Hunting starts today! We're all heading out to learn the basics, and splitting into new partners today! After we go over basics together, we split up. Sunpaw and Breezepaw will work together, Rosepaw and Willowpaw-"

"Yay!" Rosepaw whispered in her ear. Willowpaw smiled.

"And Hawkpaw will work with me," mewed Nightstorm sternly, giving the tabby apprentice a sharp look. Hawkpaw looked guiltily at his paws.

 _Now that I think about it, Hawkpaw didn't come and help with the nests... But what could he have been doing?_ she wondered.

"Let's go, she-cats!" mewed Spiderstep cheerfully. Rosepaw, Willowpaw and Shadeleaf exited the camp, followed by the others, while Sparkface quickly took the lead. She led them to the mossy hollow, where everyone sat.

"Listen up and watch carefully," ordered the ginger-faced deputy. "The basic hunting crouch looks like this." She demonstrated, bending low on her paws and touching her belly- it looked a little swollen, Willowpaw noticed. Was she sick? - to the ground, her tail straight out and still. It twitched slightly as she began to pad forward, whiskers fanned out and nose twitching. She stalked across the hollow, and suddenly pounced, springing off her back paws in a silent leap and landing just in front of a shocked Breezepaw, who leaped a tail-length in the air and bushed out his fur. Rosepaw giggled.

"That's how you startle your prey," mewed Sparkface, shaking out her fur. "Now split up," she added.

Willowpaw followed her group, quietly chatting with Rosepaw.

"Wasn't it hilarious when she did that to Breezepaw?" the cream apprentice giggled, an odd look in her eyes. Willowpaw nodded, adding a forced laugh. Her mind was on other things. What was the deal with Breezepaw? Why had he snuck out of camp? What was he doing, acting weird lately? He went from bristly and defensive to relaxed and content to absentminded and distracted. It was like he was another cat sometimes!

She shook herself out of her thoughts when Shadeleaf ordered them to stop. Willowpaw saw an unusually thick tree trunk somewhere near them, and realized they were near the Star Maple. Beside that, it looked like a boring piece of forest. A rotting log lay a couple fox-lengths away. Browning bracken and leaves spotted the ground, but the trees still retained most of their green.

"Willowpaw, Rosepaw. You saw Sparkface's hunting crouch. I want you to imitate it."

Willowpaw crouched low on her paws, wincing at the stiff and uncomfortable position. Her tail twitched as she tried to hold it still like Sparkface had. Next to her, Rosepaw crouched like an awkward duck, her tail end high in the air, face and chest pressed to the dirt. She looked painfully unaware of her mistake, until Spiderstep came over to correct her stance, gently encouraging her to even out her unbalanced position. Shadeleaf gave her some advice, too:

"Willowpaw, you can ease off your back legs a little. You're flat as a mouse on the Thunderpath." The gray tabby chuckled. Willowpaw stood up a little bit, putting less pressure on her hind legs, and found that it was much more comfortable.

"Now spread your front paws a bit more, and relax your tail a bit. Trying to hold it stick-straight will just bother you. Let it sweep back and forth a little, but it can't touch the ground. Do you know why?" her mentor asked. As Willowpaw made the adjustments to her crouch, she thought hard. "Because... because the prey will feel it?" she answered hesitantly.

Shadeleaf looked pleased. "That's right. Rosepaw, did you catch that?"

"Yeah," the cream she-cat responded, a slight strain in her tone.

"Good. Now, Willowpaw, try stalking a circle around that tree."

Willowpaw padded around the maple tree as quietly as she could. At first walking in the low position felt awkward, but the farther she went, the more natural it felt. She wasn't perfect- she still had heavier paws than the more experienced cats, she still stepped on dry leaves and swished her tail despite her efforts. But when she returned to her mentor, she felt proud.

"Good, Willowpaw!" Shadeleaf mewed, pleased. "Tell me what you think you need to work on."

"Well... My paws are really loud," she began.

"Yes. You have a light frame with broad paws, and while they might not come to your advantage stalking, you'll have an easy time catching your prey, not to mention climbing trees and keeping your balance in general. Plus, you have a big advantage in fighting with your strong, flexible paws and long claws."

"And I stepped on a bunch of loud things, too," Willowpaw added, only half paying attention to her mentor's praise.

"I noticed that. You have keen senses, Willowpaw. Put them to use. Do your whiskers sense ferns? Avoid them. Hear the beginning of a crackle underfoot? Ease off your paws. In general, watch where you're stepping, but don't lose your prey," Shadeleaf instructed.

Willowpaw nodded and crouched low again, slipping more easily now into the hunting crouch. As she stalked quietly around the tree, she set down her feet lightly, making sure to keep all four paws balanced, and paid attention to her senses, watching her paws and avoiding making noise, feeling the touch of her sensitive whiskers against the browning ferns, and listening for the sound of her own pawsteps. She let her tail relax, but kept it off the ground still. Around her, the other cats had gone silent, and she became aware of a slight feeling behind her. Her tail twitched. She heard a slight noise, and slowly turned around to find Rosepaw staring guiltily at her, her amber eyes wide and whiskers pricked. Willowpaw smiled.

"You almost had me," she mewed.

The two she-cat apprentices continued their training for a little while longer. Rosepaw had a steely determination in her eyes, and her pawsteps were softer than a feather thanks to her intense focus. Willowpaw made a note of how she set her delicate paws down, toe first and then gently easing down on the base of her paw. She tried to imitate that as they practiced.

When the sun reached its apex in the sky, Shadeleaf ordered them to stop.

"I think you two are doing pretty darn good for your first day," she mewed. "Spiderstep and I think you're ready to move on to the actual hunting."

Willowpaw let out a cheer that was quickly stifled by a fluffy tail. "You don't wanna scare all the prey away, do you?" Rosepaw teased, though her eyes sparked with the same excitement.

The foursome walked more quietly through the forest, ears and nose wary of any prey-scent. Rosepaw's tail shot up suddenly.

"I smell a mouse!" she whispered excitedly.

Spiderstep nodded. The dark tabby flicked her tail towards some leaves at the roots of a tree. Willowpaw saw a small, bald tail flick in and out of the leaves, and a small nose poked up a moment after. All four cats froze until it went back to snuffling in the dirt. Spiderstep motioned for Rosepaw to catch it.

A fierce emotion in her eyes, Rosepaw dropped low into a slightly lopsided crouch and began to stalk across the forest floor. The mouse continued to scuffle.

Rosepaw was only a few tail-lengths away from the mouse when suddenly, the breeze abruptly shifted downwind, blowing their scent to the mouse. It sat up, squeaked in alarm, and scurried away. Determined, Rosepaw hared after it, winding through trees and pouncing a moment too late, just as the mouse scurried into a hole.

Rosepaw groaned. She hung her head and padded back to the group, disappointment and shame evident in her honey-colored eyes, which never hid much. As she reached them, Willowpaw noticed she flinched away from Spiderstep, as if expecting a scolding, but Spiderstep's yellow-green eyes held only pride. Head tilted to the side, Rosepaw looked up at the lanky tabby, confused.

"Nice job, Rosepaw. You would'a had it if it weren't for that cross breeze," Willowpaw murmured to her friend, who didn't seem to react much, before stepping back to let mentor and apprentice conversate.

"You aren't mad at me?" Rosepaw was asking Spiderstep.

"Of course not, Rosepaw. You expect too much of yourself. Your stalking was practically perfect, and you were so silent! I know many cats who wouldn't have been able to get that far. You would have even had the catch, but the breeze shifted, and you did a great job chasing it too!"

"Really?" She looked surprised.

The dark tabby purred. "Really."

Shadeleaf cut in. "It's getting late, and I'm sure you two are hungry," she mewed. "Let's go back and you can rest for a little before our next lesson."

"Sounds good," Willowpaw murmured, suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline and excitement of the hunt had worn off, and she found herself wanting to lay down and sleep.

Rosepaw grinned, the same tired look in her drooping tail and heavy-lidded eyes. "I know."

The group headed back to camp in a tired silence. At one point, Shadeleaf smelled a nest of voles, and the two older cats demonstrated their stalking by creeping up on the nest, scaring out the mother vole and killing it, then burrowing into the small hole and dragging out the babies. There were eight babies, nearly full grown, with plenty of meat on their bones. Shadeleaf took the large vole and a baby, Spiderstep three babies, and Rosepaw and Willowpaw two each.

Back at camp, they found Breezepaw sulking in a small corner of the camp, between a couple of bramble bushes. His ears perked briefly, then drooped as the she-cats headed for the fresh-kill pile. Willowpaw was too tired to care about his odd behavior.

They dropped off the baby voles they carried, brought prey to the elders and Moonheart, plus a baby vole for her kits, then returned to finally have a meal. Rosepaw settled with a thrush, methodically tearing out feathers and gnawing the scrawny meat off the wingbones before moving on to another part of the bird. Deciding she wanted some feathers for her nest, Willowpaw chose a bird. She briefly debated between a fat chaffinch and a fluffy sparrow, and chose the smaller bird, employing the same feather-gathering method as Rosepaw. Still hungry after she finished, she took the smallest of the baby voles, and it was enough to fill her belly.

She got up to have a quick nap before "the next lesson." She hadn't known there was something else. As she left, Sunpaw arrived from their den and sat down to share tongues with his sister. Willowpaw scattered her feathers over her nest, tucking the softest down where the moss was less soft.

Despite her tiredness, it took her a while to sleep. Thoughts flickered through her head, though she was too tired to focus on one. _What is the next lesson? Why is Breezepaw acting so weird? Have I pleased Shadeleaf so far?_

Eventually, the thoughts became too much for her exhausted mind, and she slipped into a light sleep.

 **For those of you who expect a big, dramatic surprise for their next lesson, I'm afraid you might be disappointed.**

 **Q: Why do you think Breezepaw's all weirdo?**

 **A: Why would I tell you?**

 **Accepting random OC names, just prefixes. Something a little more unusual? I'm willing to go with non-canon, as long as it makes sense and they would know about it. No Amethystkit or Oceanfur, etc, please. I need them for future other Clan kits, but I have all TC kits planned.**

 **~Stormy~**


	15. Chapter 12- Twisted

**Salutations. Now, you get to find out what the "next lesson" is. The lesson itself isn't too special in and of itself, but you get a "BIG SHOCKER"(tm) at the end.**

 **QUESTION: Do you prefer the suffix -pool, -song, -blaze, -rain or -flame?**

 **Reviews:**

 **PheonixRune: (chapter 12) Lol. Ding ding ding! (14) Could be. ;)**

 **Wolffiecat: Thank you so much! It really means a lot to me. I absolutely agree with what you said about prophecies, though I have read a couple good prophecy based fics. And what do you mean by "awesome word choice?" Would that be my Panic! reference?**

 **Fawnfur000DETHKA: (chapter 4) Thank you! (chapter 13/14)Thank you so much! About the Q, you are close but not quite there... The fact about kits at 6 moons is very interesting, and I will definitely think about that! I like your names Beaver- and Rainbow-, and I think they're interesting.**

 **Emberflame: Thanks for the OC! As for your answer, you are right! I know I "hinted" at it before, but still... I do have names planned, but I'm still open to suggestions. Currently I have Hawkfoot, which makes no sense, and some others I'm not telling :)**

 **Hazel Ashwood: Thanks for the OCs!**

 **Guest, chapters 2, 7, 9, 10 (I'm assuming you are the same person) 2: I've been thinking about that. 7: If I ever didn't use full names, then it was either a mistake or another character calling them as a nickname. 9: Thanks, and I'll continue to work on smooth transitions. 10: Breezekit/paw just has a grumpy personality, kind of like Jayfeather. Part of it is just the cat equivalent of hormones, and it'll mostly mellow out in the end. What do you mean by "the eye"- Breezekit's odd eyes?**

 **snootsnoot: Thank you so much! I love exploring the ideas of a cat living their life without being plagued by the Dark Forest or Twolegs or Clan cats, or prophecies just to cause a stir.**

 **QUESTION PT 2: What did y'all think of River of Fire? I found it somewhat disappointing. They killed off good characters, leaving us with bland fillers, branched out too much with character names (Thriftkit? What kind of kit would be called Thriftkit? Do they even know what that is? Did they get her at the thrift store?) and half the characters with personality are either going OOC (Jayfeather, Leafstar, I'm looking at you) or just unlikable (Violetshine and most of ShadowClan, plus Sparkpelt. She has all the wrong aspects of her parents- Squirrelflight's feistiness and temper, Bramblestar's fierce ambition and drive- without any good traits to balance it out. I think that was sort of their intention, but they ended up just creating an obnoxious and bland character.)**

 **Now, on with the story.**

Willowpaw paced back and forth outside the apprentices' den. The sun was quickly setting, and a chill cut through her soft greenleaf coat. Hawkpaw had returned shortly after she had fallen asleep, and according to his sister Rosepaw, he was quieter and less rowdy than usual. Currently, he was enjoying the fat finch Willowpaw had debated over- but not before he ensured that Moonheart and her kits, Eaglenose and Minttail had all eaten, she had noticed. Rosepaw and Breezepaw chatted softly just out of earshot from her. Sunpaw had yet to exit the den- he had joined her for a nap a little bit later, and was probably grooming.

Just then, Nightstorm appeared from the warriors' den, soon followed by Briarfur. The two took the last two baby voles that Shadeleaf and Spiderstep had caught, quickly gulping them down while still standing. _Speaking of Shadeleaf and Spiderstep..._ Willowpaw thought.

The two she-cats came in through the camp entrance, each holding a shrew in their jaws. They deposited them on the fresh-kill pile, neglecting to eat, and joined the apprentices outside the den. Shadeleaf nodded to Willowpaw, her green eyes saying _wait_ even as Willowpaw opened her mouth to ask what they were doing. Nightstorm and Briarfur joined them a few moments later, and it wasn't long before Sparkface came through the entrance at the head of a patrol consisting of Smokethistle, Foxtail and Sparrowclaw. Willowpaw's mom waved to Willowpaw with her tail. Willowpaw caught her eye and smiled.

Sparkface quickly rejoined the group, giving quick instructions.

"Tonight- night patrol. A real one, on each of the borders. You learn how to mark borders efficiently. Plus, you get to leave at night. Got it?"

"Yes!" they chorused. Willowpaw's heart pounded with anticipation. A real patrol, just three days into their apprenticeship! She tried to look past the fact that it was still just a practice patrol, without hunting or fighting.

"Okay. Since we have two borders to mark, you guessed it- we split up. Willowpaw, Breezepaw and Sunpaw, you are a group. Rosepaw, Hawkpaw, same with you. Here's the twist- you won't be with your mentors. They will be watching you, seeing how you work with other cats that you might not agree with."

There was a collective gasp from the group. Willowpaw glanced at Shadeleaf, who looked slightly smug, like it was her idea.

"Willowpaw's group- your warriors are Dusklight, Foxtail-" Willowpaw winced slightly at the mention of the conceited ginger tom, Moonheart's ex, but then realized that that must be part of the test.

"And Gorseclaw," Sparkface finished. As she spoke, the three cats came out from the shadows. Dusklight looked proud and determined. Her calico fur was freshly groomed and glossy. Gorseclaw betrayed little emotion, positive or negative, but Willowpaw thought she caught a gleam of excitement in his yellow eyes. Foxtail looked smug and confident as always, nose stuck in the air, his bright ginger fur smooth and unruffled. She groaned inwardly. She was not looking forward to this.

"Rosepaw and Hawkpaw, you are with Falconswift, Feathernose and Bramblestripe."

The three cats assigned to Rosepaw and Hawkpaw made a less dramatic entrance, simply coming out of the warriors' den and taking a place beside them. Willowpaw didn't know the three well. Falconswift was Dusklight's sister, a gray and black tom with a lean, wiry build and pale green eyes. He was quiet and focused on his duty, a loyal and ambitious, though brand-new, warrior. Feathernose was one of the youngest warriors, having been made a warrior just a moon before Willowpaw was born. She was small and reminded Willowpaw of a fluffy rabbit, with soft dusky brown fur and green eyes, and the same energy and speed. She was bright, friendly and a little overenthusiastic, but she was lithe and quick and an excellent fighter. Bramblestripe she knew a little bit. He was Sorrelstar's mate, father of four kits including Feathernose, who had died (except for Feathernose, obviously.) Because of this previous tragedy, he was slightly on edge and wary, but that made him even more determined, and Willowpaw knew he would defend any of his clanmates to his last breath. Just as she turned her attention away, she caught Breezepaw looking longingly at the other group.

"Willowpaw, chop chop! We don't have all day, mouse-brain!" snapped Foxtail irritably. Willowpaw itched to rake her claws down his smug face, but she contained her anger and forced out an apology.

"Sorry," she growled through clenched teeth. She wondered why he was so irritable- and irritating. Had he been dropped as a kit?

She and her group left the camp. Gorseclaw grudgingly allowed Foxtail to take the lead, despite his being a younger warrior- best to satisfy him so he wouldn't be angry later. He led them through the woods for what seemed like ages until finally they arrived at the WindClan border. There were no warriors in sight, but Willowpaw spotted a black-and-white rabbit munching on some plants a few tree-lengths across the stream. Dusklight's ears perked with the urge to chase it, but she held back. Breezepaw looked indifferent, almost distracted. Sunpaw stood quietly, waiting for instruction. Gorseclaw began to move on.

"Wait!" Foxtail hissed.

"What?" groaned Dusklight impatiently.

"Don't you see that rabbit?"

"Of course I do. We're not blind."

"But shouldn't we hunt it?" begged the ginger warrior.

"No, Foxtail. It's on the other territory." mewed Gorseclaw, his voice straining to remain calm.

"So? Nobody is around! Now that leaves are falling, we need every piece of prey we can get. We have kits, you know!" Willowpaw realized Foxpaw cared about his kits, but that didn't make stealing okay.

"Foxtail, it's against the code!" Sunpaw piped up suddenly.

"What do you know, _apprentice?_ You're puny!"

Gorseclaw growled at the younger tom. "We don't speak to ANY cat that way. As your former mentor, I expected better of you."

The ginger tom hissed angrily and turned away. Even Breezepaw had tuned in by now, his eyes wide. Instinctively he stepped forward to protect Willowpaw, who appreciated the gesture but could fight for herself. She stepped so she was in line with Breezepaw, and Sunpaw joined them at her other side.

Suddenly Foxtail broke away from the group and sprinted for the stream. Willowpaw didn't understant why he was so desperate for the rabbit. No cat was going hungry, and his kits were well-fed and healthy. She wondered why he even cared about them anyway- he had disowned them as their father after leaving Moonheart. The young queen had never seemed the same, having been dumped by the cat she loved in the middle of her pregnancy.

 _Now's not the time to get lost in your thoughts!_ she told herself. Foxtail was pursued now by the rest of the patrol, even the apprentices. Willowpaw sprinted after them, her short legs struggling to keep up. But she was pumped full with adrenaline, and somehow found the strength to catch up. Foxtail was almost at the border now. The rabbit sat peacefully, undisturbed. Dusklight headed the group, her strong legs pumping, but a new threat had appeared. Several faint shadows had appeared over a hill, barely visible in the rapidly darkening sky. A WindClan patrol had arrived.

Dusklight saw them too, and made a flying leap for Foxtail as he bunched his legs to cross the river, holding him down long enough for the rest of them to catch up.

"What in the name of StarClan were you _thinking?_ " yelled Gorseclaw, who had completely lost his cool.

"Yes, what were you thinking?" came a new, cool voice.

"Icewhisker." Gorseclaw dipped his head. Shockingly, Foxtail was the next to show respect, with a deep, cheesy bow. Everyone else followed. The white she-cat dipped her head in return to everyone but Foxtail.

"Foxtail, care to explain what happened?" mewed a light brown she-cat.

"Wrenflight, you have to believe me! These two-" he gestured to Gorseclaw and Dusklight. Wrenflight took this pause as an opportunity.

"Stop. I saw what happened, Foxtail. I won't put up with your excuses any more." Wrenflight gave him a look that Willowpaw couldn't decipher. Something knowing, something secretive.

"Gorseclaw, why don't you and Foxtail go back to camp?" suggested Dusklight.

"Please do," mewed another white she-cat sarcastically. Foxtail glared at her. Her large gray apprentice glared back.

Gorseclaw laid a tail on the ginger tom's shoulders and led him away. He put up no fight, though his muscles were tensed and his claws sank into the ground with every step, leaving scars in the ground wherever he set his paws. Willowpaw feared for Gorseclaw.

Dusklight looked exhausted, fed up and angry. Icewhisker led her cats away over the hill, some of them shooting claw-sharp glares at Foxtail's retreating form.

"Let's go back," she murmured, tail sagging. On the way back to camp, the three apprentices chattered like songbirds the entire way.

"Did you see the way Dusklight jumped for him?!" Breezepaw exclaimed.

"Oh yeah! Dusklight, that was sick!" mewed Sunpaw. Dusklight didn't seem to notice.

"Dusklight, are you okay?" Willowpaw asked, concerned by the way her amber eyes were dull and almost pained, the way her tail dragged on the ground, the way her whiskers hung limp on the ground.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm alright," the calico mewed distractedly.

"No, you aren't. I can see it," Willowpaw said firmly.

"Fine. I... I had a crush on Foxtail when I was an apprentice. He seemed like he was so strong, so brave... The way he bragged about it only made him seem better. In Feathernose's eyes, he was annoying, stupid, weak, but I saw him as an idol. When he got with Moonheart, I was crushed. Then they split up, and I had hope again. But then tonight, when I saw how fierce he was, how determined to break the rules he was, and it was like I saw who he really was for the first time." She took a deep breath. "Course, I don't expect you to understand, being half as old as I am an' all." With that, she returned to the head of the group.

It was true. Willowpaw didn't understand. How could such a bright, smart, beautiful cat fall in love with such a scumbag like Foxtail? She didn't question it. She almost didn't want to know...

The rest of the walk back was silent, the two toms having run out of topics. Willowpaw thought about the look Wrenflight had given Foxtail. When she thought more about it, it seemed angry, almost regretful. She had no idea what it meant, so she shoved it to the back of their mind.

At camp, Rosepaw and Hawkpaw were there with their mentors. Willowpaw caught a glimpse of a bushy ginger tail in the medicine den.

"You did amazing, 'paws," mewed Sparkface. "We've decided that you are going to the Gathering tomorrow."

 **I felt like this chapter was really lackluster. It just seemed boring and disappointing. Sorry if you felt that way too.**

 **Q: What's Foxtail's deal?**

 **He's like a combination of Berrynose and Foxleap, but only the worst parts. He _could_ be redeeming, but YOU'LL NEVER KNOW...**

 **~Stormy**


End file.
